Joe Georgusis's expensive obsession

Not the thing on the top of everyone's mind today but this came up last week and I want to make sure I had it bookmarked somewhere.

It may be true that justice is nothing more than a cruel lottery but some people do get to buy a lot of tickets.

Georgusis scored a quiet coup in 2015, a decade after his son’s death, when then-Coroner Jeffrey Rouse -- a major recipient of campaign cash from Georgusis -- changed the classification of Joey’s death to “unknown.”

The revision, reported to the state, was unknown even to the staff of the Coroner’s Office until this newspaper discovered it in state records.

Rouse has hardly been the only official to give the case fresh legs. Others who have probed the case over the years include former Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand, former St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens, former St. Bernard Parish District Attorney Jack Rowley and current Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro.

Joe Georgusis’ crusade to prove his son was murdered and hold others accountable for it continues today. Yet another new probe is unfolding now: a federal grand jury investigation overseen by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Orleans.

Georgusis' company, River Park One, owns interest in commercial real estate all over the metro area. He bought the Iroquois Theater jazz landmark in 2016. He owns strip malls in St. Bernard and Jefferson. He was also involved in some of these "spillionaire" settlement deals after the Macaondo disaster. But that's not important right now.  The point is he's a guy who has a lot of money to throw around pursuing stuff like this.  And he can buy as much local government assistance as he needs.