I-TEAM: Attorneys file second motion to toss indictments against Lamont Cole and city contractor
Prosecutors allege Cole accepted at least $40,000 in bribes from a city contractor Cole knew
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Attorneys representing Lamont Cole and Terral Jackson are asking a court to throw out their corruption indictments for new reasons, according to brand-new court filings this week.
East Baton Rouge School Superintendent Lamont Cole and his friend Terral Jackson are both implicated in a sweeping corruption probe. Prosecutors for the Attorney General’s Office allege Cole accepted at least $40,000 in bribes.
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The defense claims that in addition to procedural problems with the indictments, the facts of the warrant don’t back up the charges. Cole has denied any wrongdoing.
Cole is charged with money laundering, malfeasance, and conspiracy to commit bribery.
A second motion to toss out the indictment was filed Sept. 10, 2026, in the 19th Judicial District Court for East Baton Rouge Parish, arguing the Aug. 5, 2026, indictment is too vague and does not explain any wrongdoing on Cole’s part.
“What we’re saying is that what is alleged in the indictment would not constitute a crime. And it doesn’t have the material in it that it’s required to have. That’s the second motion to quash,” attorney Steve Irving said.
The motion states, “This indictment must be quashed. None of the counts allege facts which constitute a crime.”
The I-TEAM reached out to the attorney general’s office for comment on the new motion to toss out the indictment.
A judge has not set a hearing date at this time. Cole is due back in court in October.
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