(VIDEO) New Orleans Police Officer Faces 350 Charges After Cameras Showed Him Home During Overtime Hours

NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans police officer is facing 350 criminal charges after undercover surveillance cameras repeatedly showed him at home during hours his department records indicated he was on duty, in what investigators describe as a wide-ranging overtime fraud case.

Senior Police Officer Brandon Coleman, 39, was arrested Aug. 7 following a joint investigation by Louisiana State Police and the New Orleans Office of Inspector General, which examined discrepancies between the overtime hours Coleman reported and the hours investigators say he actually worked.

Payroll records raise red flags

The investigation began after FOX 8 started examining Coleman's overtime pay when payroll records showed he was among the New Orleans Police Department's highest-paid officers. Coleman earned approximately $229,000 from the department in 2025, more than three times his $68,000 base salary, according to FOX 8's reporting.

Louisiana State Police said Coleman received more than $111,000 in fraudulent overtime payments between December 2024 and December 2025. At his first court appearance, however, the Louisiana Attorney General's Office presented a higher figure, telling Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Juana Lombard that Coleman had collected more than $172,000 he should not have received, according to FOX 8.

Video evidence at the center of the case

Investigators placed undercover cameras to monitor Coleman's whereabouts and compare them against his submitted timesheets. On July 22, 2025, Coleman's timesheet showed a shift beginning at 6:25 a.m., but video captured him entering his police vehicle at 10:08 a.m. — more than three hours after his shift was recorded as starting.

Coleman discovered one of the undercover cameras on July 28, 2025. The next day, his records again showed him clocking in at 6:25 a.m., while video showed him leaving his home at 7:41 a.m., according to investigators.

Louisiana State Police and the Office of Inspector General launched their joint investigation in April 2026, reviewing not only discrepancies in Coleman's reported hours but also differences between the locations listed for some of his overtime assignments and where investigators determined he actually was.

Charges and court proceedings

Louisiana State Police obtained an arrest warrant and took Coleman into custody Aug. 7. He was booked on 325 counts of filing false public records and 23 counts of public payroll fraud, along with one count of theft and one count of malfeasance in office, bringing the total to 350 charges.

Judge Lombard found probable cause on all of the charges at Coleman's first court appearance. He subsequently posted a $17,000 bond and was released. FOX 8 reported that Coleman is expected back in court Sept. 9.

Coleman's attorney disputes the allegations

Coleman's attorney, Bobby Hjortsberg, pushed back forcefully against the charges, calling them "absolutely baseless" and saying the defense has evidence showing Coleman was working during periods investigators question.

Hjortsberg argued that footage showing Coleman at or leaving his home does not, by itself, establish that he was not already performing police work at the time. He said Coleman's responsibilities included Mardi Gras assignments and citywide duties that did not require him to remain at a police station throughout a shift. The attorney said the defense expects to present physical evidence supporting Coleman's account of his working hours during the periods in question.

NOPD placed Coleman on unpaid administrative leave following his arrest. Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the department cooperated with the independent investigation and would continue to do so as the case moves forward.

Part of a broader pattern uncovered by investigators

Coleman is the second NOPD officer arrested as a result of FOX 8's "Unchecked Overtime" investigative series. Former Sgt. Henry Burke was arrested earlier in 2026 in a separate overtime payroll case and was later fired from the department; FOX 8 reported that Burke's case was subsequently referred to federal prosecutors. Internal investigations involving other NOPD officers connected to the broader overtime review have also continued.

Department overhauls timekeeping system

In response to the investigative reporting, NOPD expanded its use of biometric time clocks, which require officers to clock in at their specific assigned locations rather than relying solely on manually submitted timesheets. FOX 8 reported that the updated timekeeping system has been credited with reducing the department's overtime spending by more than $8.3 million during the first six months of 2026 — a 45% decline, according to figures from the Office of Inspector General.

Preventing payroll fraud more broadly

Public agencies and private employers can reduce the risk of payroll fraud by cross-referencing time records against assignment logs, building access records, vehicle logs and other independently generated data rather than relying on submitted timesheets alone, according to guidance highlighted in the case's coverage. Repeated shifts producing unusually high annual hours, frequent manual edits to time records, or employees consistently earning multiples of their base salary can all warrant additional scrutiny, and organizations are encouraged to ensure supervisors cannot approve unexplained timesheet edits without a clear audit trail.

New Orleans residents and city employees with information about suspected misuse of public funds can report concerns directly to the New Orleans Office of Inspector General, which accepts tips online, by email and by phone, including supporting documentation related to suspected public corruption or payroll misconduct.