Grammy-winning jazz artist Irvin Mayfield and his business partner Ronald Markham were sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. The two pleaded guilty to a conspiracy that cheated the New Orleans Public Library Foundation out of $1.3 million.
U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey ordered the two to pay $1.123 million in restitution. The judge also ordered that they volunteer to teach 500 hours of student music lessons and serve three years of supervised release. Each of them has until January 5, 2022, to report to prison, reported Nola.com
This is a shocking turn of events for Mayfield, who served as the city’s ambassador after Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc and killed countless people. Mayfield was a driving force behind the promotion of cultural and entertainment tourism.
Mayfield was sentenced to two years in prison, but the judge opted for a reduced sentence with the condition that he begin working to pay restitution within 60 days of his release.
Prosecutors claim Mayfield and his childhood friend Markham used their roles as president and board members of the foundation to divert more than $1 million intended for the city’s public libraries to their personal projects and pockets between August 2011 and January 2013. The money was sent through Mayfield’s New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, which he created in 2002.
The $10 million building cost of the New Orleans Jazz Market, where Mayfield’s jazz orchestra performed, was diverted from funds supposed to be used to buy books and pay for library staff and services. The men allegedly spent their money on opulent hotel suites, top-shelf wine, and a 24-karat gold-plated trumpet.
Mayfield and Markham both pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud on November 10, 2020.
