David LaCerte

David Alan LaCerte (born November 6, 1979) was the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs (LDVA) in the administration of Governor Bobby Jindal.[1] He had been the Interim Secretary from January 2013 to September 2013.[2][3]

David LaCerte
Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs
In office
June 2014 – October 2015
Personal details
Born (1979-11-06) November 6, 1979
Alma mater
OccupationLawyer
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceMarine Corps
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan

Career

LaCerte served in the United States Marine Corps Infantry. Shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001, he was deployed to Afghanistan under the command of General James Mattis. LaCerte led over 100 combat patrols and missions in Afghanistan and Pakistan and served on interrogation teams for high value Al Qaeda targets.

LaCerte is a graduate of Nicholls State University and Paul M. Hebert Law Center. He joined the LDVA in 2010 as Deputy Secretary and Executive Counsel under Secretary Lane Carson. Following the retirement of Carson, LaCerte served as the Interim Secretary of LDVA until the appointment of former US Representative Rodney Alexander in September 2013. LaCerte was appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal as Secretary after Alexander resigned on June 3, 2014.[1]

LaCerte resigned in October 2015 amid two investigations into his office, prompted by a report, released in August 2015, that turned up concerns about conditions and lack of oversight at nursing homes for veterans.[4][5] The investigations by the Louisiana legislative auditor and the State Inspector General’s Office found misspending of funds and failure to report alleged violence against veterans.[5] The report also claimed that LaCerte had embellished his military service record in his state website biography.[5]

In 2017, LaCerte sued the state, the legislative auditor, and the Inspector General for defamation.[6] The lawsuit is focused not on the report itself, but the press release that accompanied it.[7]

References
  1. "Governor Jindal Appoints David LaCerte as New LDVA Secretary". Office of the Governor – State of Louisiana. 2014-06-03. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24.
  2. "Governor Jindal Appoints David LaCerte to Serve as Interim Veterans Affairs Secretary". Office of the Governor – State of Louisiana. 2013-01-02. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24.
  3. "Governor Jindal Appoints Rodney Alexander as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs". Office of the Governor – State of Louisiana. Archived from the original on 2015-01-01.
  4. Ballard, Mark (2015-12-09). "Head of Louisiana Veterans Affairs steps down after probes look at conditions, oversight at nursing homes". The Advocate. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  5. Allen, Rebekah (2016-02-02). "VA chief misspent thousands, audit says". The Advocate. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  6. Allen, Rebekah (2017-02-02). "Former VA Secretary, accused of exaggerating military career, sues state for defamation". The Advocate. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  7. Ballard, Mark (2017-11-20). "Baton Rouge court allows defamation lawsuit against Legislative Auditor to continue". The Advocate. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
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