1 week Ago By The Town Talk
A former Broussard resident who was found to have defrauded an elderly man out of the ownership of his Rapides Parish store pleaded guilty on Wednesday to two misdemeanors in his criminal case. Ayoub Ali, who now lives in Lexington, Kentucky, according to online Rapides Parish Clerk of Court records, had faced four felony counts after an investigation by Louisiana State Police. Two of those charges, insurance fraud and forgery, were dropped during a hearing before 9th Judicial District Court Judge Patricia Koch.
Ali, who was not present for the hearing, pleaded guilty through his attorney, Michael Brewer, to reduced charges of theft of less than $1,000 and criminal mischief. Those charges originally were attempted theft greater than $25,000 and filing false public records. Koch sentenced Ali to three months in the parish jail on each charge, but suspended the jail sentence.
He also was placed on three months of unsupervised probation. Ali was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine to the Rapides Parish District Attorney's Office. The judge had been told by Brewer and Rapides Assistant District Attorney Gerald Weeks back in July that they had reached a deal, but asked for a continuance until December.
It was continued another two times until Wednesday's hearing, which had been scheduled for Thursday. Chandler Groceries case: Appeals court agrees with judge that Rapides business 'sale' was case of fraud No sale: Rapides judge voids 'sale' of Chandlers Groceries store destroyed in fire The store at the center of the controversy was Chandler Groceries, which had been in business on La. Highway 28 West between Alexandria and Gardner for decades.
Ali had been managing the store for owner Donald Chandler and had expressed interest in buying it, according to past testimony in a civil lawsuit Chandler filed against Ali. Chandler said he'd sell for $325,000 cash, but he later testified that Ali missed several appointments to finalize the sale. Ali did have Chandler and two witnesses sign a two-page lease agreement for the store, which he told them he needed to secure a liquor license.
Ali filed a three-page bill of sale with the Rapides Parish Clerk of Court's Office on March 10, 2020, but the witnesses testified at a trial that document was not the one they signed. Chandler sued Ali on June 9, 2020, two days after the store was destroyed in a fire. Koch was presiding over civil cases at the time, and she ruled in August 2021 that it was a "clearly convincing" case of fraud, which voided the alleged sale.
Ali appealed the decision, but the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal upheld Koch's decision in September 2022. In early 2023, Ali's attorney withdrew from the case because he hadn't been paid, according to a motion filed with the court. This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Former Lafayette-area man pleads guilty to 2 charges in Chandler's case.
