Holiday spirits are up

 It's right around the corner. Have you sent your emails to Santa yet? I think this guy got the wrong address.

Schofield, 76, was charged late Monday in a bill of information, typically a sign that a defendant has signed a plea deal and will cooperate with the government. Schofield's lawyer, Steve London, declined to comment.

Federal authorities in April secured a guilty plea from the restaurateur, Fouad Zeton, and assuming Schofield pleads guilty, prosecutors are expected to take aim at their next target, New Orleans police officer Christian Claus. Claus, a seven-year veteran of the NOPD and a former lawyer who also hails from Nevada, has been on desk duty since at least December, when news broke that he was the subject of the investigation.

Claus is described clearly but not named in the documents, instead referred to as "Individual A," in keeping with Justice Department policies that frown on defaming people in court documents who have yet to be accused of crimes. Schofield is accused of sending Claus an email that "misrepresented [his] honest assessment of the appraised art's value."

Somebody's already made a list of naughties, anyway. I wonder who this is. 

Court documents in Zeton's case say that Claus was to receive a kickback from the proceeds resulting from the false insurance claim. In addition, prosecutors alleged that Zeton had promised to use his influence with “a high-ranking NOPD official” to get Claus better posts and promotions. It’s unclear who that official is, or whether Zeton or his friend ever attempted to help Claus.