LAPLACE — Jordy Robertson, 37, of LaPlace pleaded guilty Thursday to a two-count bill of information charging him with wire fraud and conspiring to distribute cocaine, U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced.

Robertson, the father of teenage Saints super fan Jarrius “J.J.” Robertson, is known for his organ transplant awareness charity “It Takes Lives To Save Lives.” The investigation surrounding

Robertson became publicly known in October 2018 when the Drug Enforcement Agency raided his LaPlace and Reserve offices on Oct. 24, 2018.

According to the bill of information, Robertson’s drug trafficking conspiracy ran from at least May 2017 through January 2019, and his wire fraud scheme ran from October 2016 through January 2019.

On the drug charges, Robertson faces up to 20 years in prison, followed by at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. On the wire fraud charges, Robertson faces up to 20 years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain to Robertson or the gross loss to any victims.

U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan L. Shih and Nicholas D. Moses are in charge of the prosecution, which is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).

OCDETF is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

In a L’OBSERVATEUR interview with Patricia Hoyal, the custodial parent of Robertson’s two children, Hoyal said, “It doesn’t surprise me that (Jordy) got arrested,” Hoyal said. “That is his lifestyle. That is what he does. It’s not shocking.”

According to Hoyal, Jordy routinely used J.J.’s fame, likeness and recognition through appearances to falsely generate donations that were routinely used outside their intended purposes. Hoyal said she is most troubled by those in the community who feel J.J. was in on the fraud, something she and law enforcement maintains is not true.  In a tweet sent by JJ Robertson, he said, “I love my daddy, but I know there are a lot of good people that have been hurt by his actions.”