We have been paying attention to this for some time. In fact, we were the first media organization to tell you about the dissemination of fake political messages in recent political races in the Acadiana area. Now, we are finally seeing law enforcement action taken regarding these illegal practices.
The backstory and more details can be found below. However, the reason you’re here is the headline. Eddie Lau, known locally as a campaign manager for numerous political campaigns, was arrested and booked today for distributing or transmitting false political material (LARS 18:1463 C.(1)) which we expect to be related to the fake text messages we’ve been exclusively reporting on since November of 2024.
It Started Last Year.
The best we can tell is that two specific political campaigns in the Acadiana area were subject to the dissemination of false or misleading text messages last year: the race for the Chief of Police in the City of Youngsville and the race for the Iberia Parish Assessor’s Office.
During the Youngsville Chief of Police race, a text message was circulated on October 19, 2024, which read:
“Hello! Cody Louviere, candidate for Youngsville Chief of Police was registered no party and then switched to Republican in 2023 – according to records as seen in the image.”
The images contained the voter registration and change records for Youngsville Interim Chief of Police Cody Louviere. The message also stated, “Paid for by Louisiana Republican Citizens Group”, but no such group is registered in Louisiana.
Based on how a public records request is required to be handled by parish Registrar of Voters Offices, we determined who assessed those records during the race. Only one petition sought the records of interim Chief of Police Cody Louviere. The signatures on the petition included candidate for Youngsville Chief of Police J.P. Broussard, his spouse, and several other known Broussard supporters.
A few weeks later, on November 4, 2024, another questionable message was sent. This one involved an Iberia Parish Assessor’s Office candidate, Ashlie Spiker. Spiker, Kamala Harris, and Sadi Summerlin are pictured in that message. The message reads:
“Brothers and sisters! We must unite! Our strength lies in being inclusive, respecting all voices, and striving for a just society. Stand up to Donald Trump and the Republicans with purpose and passion! Let our collective voice be heard. Help elect these Democrat friends tomorrow and ensure our progressive shared vision thrives!
The message also stated, “Paid for by the Democrat State Committee of LA”, but again, no such group is registered in Louisiana.”
Brach Myers’ Race
Interestingly, one day before the Spiker message, another message was sent concerning Brach Myers. That message, which has become infamously known as the “Bingo message,” featured Representative Brach Myers along with Kamala Harris and Cleo Fields, read:
Hi, this is Cleo Fields. Love Bingo? Love Democracy? Join me, Rep. Brach Meyers, and friends tomorrow, Monday, for a special Voter Appreciation BINGO! Win prizes while celebrating your right to vote! Drop by anytime between 11 AM-2 PM at the Downtown Convention Center (124 S. Buchanan St). Free entry! Bring your friends! Let’s make voting fun! Paid for by Acadiana Progressive Community Outreach.
A few months later, the race for Senate District 23 between Brach Myers (R 6/10) and Jesse Regan (R 6/10) would feature a host of false, misleading, and fake messages. Many were determined to contain false information and/or were sent by counterfeit groups. Regan didn’t publicly denounce the messages, though he would make a statement late in his campaign indicating he was not involved in sending the messages. Were they all connected?
Connecting the dots.
There was some crossover in the three separate races, which warranted closer examination. In all three races, a candidate other than the target of the text messages utilized the same text message vendor: Pendragon Consulting out of Mercesburg, Pennsylvania.
David Groner, candidate for Iberia Parish Assessor, JP Broussard, candidate for Youngsville Chief of Police, and Jesse Regan, candidate for Senate District 23, each made payments to Pendragon Consulting. Additionally, two of the three campaigns made payments to the same political consultant. Groner’s campaign finance report indicates he paid Parish Strategies Group, an agency owned by Lafayette School Board Member Jeremy Hidalgo. Both Broussard and Regan employed RM Partners, an agency owned and operated by Chun Ping “Eddie” Lau. Lau is also associated with Fujino Capital, LLC, and Packet Red, LLC, who contributed in-kind to the Regan campaign.
Police Investigations Underway.
Citizens for a New Louisiana promptly reported the alleged misconduct to law enforcement agencies. On February 6, 2025, a police report was filed with the Youngsville Police Department. Law enforcement staff hesitated to accept the police report indicating that this was ‘not something they handle.’ However, we insisted that they have jurisdiction over the matter and that we wished for the report to be accepted. The Youngsville Police Department eventually agreed to take the complaint, although remarks were made that they ‘didn’t see what was false.’
In response to a recent public records request, we learned the case is “ACTIVE pending further review from the District Attorney’s Office.” Based on the materials reviewed and the interactions with the police regarding the matter, it didn’t appear that much follow-up work had been completed or that the matter was being taken seriously.
Brach Myers filed a separate complaint with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office. As a result of that agency’s investigation, Chun Ping “Eddie” Lau was arrested on March 13, 2025. Lau has been booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center for distributing or transmitting false political material (LARS 18:1463 C.(1)). Come back here for updates as they develop.
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Great job uncovering those fake texts to swing voters. It should serve as a solid warning that this will not be tolerated.