The former head of the New Orleans Regional Black Chamber of Commerce, Jeffrey Hunt, was sentenced in New York state on Monday to a prison term of between 20 months and five years for grand larceny.

Hunt, 54, pleaded guilty last July to grand larceny in the third degree for stealing about $47,000 from the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce during the time he was president and CEO of that organization from 2016 to 2020. He stole the money by charging personal expenses, including clothing, trips and dinners, and claiming them as business expenses, the Columbia County DA’s office said.

“Mr. Hunt violated the public’s trust by stealing community funds to cover his personal expenses and now has been held accountable for his crimes,” Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Ryan Carty said in a news release on Monday.

Columbia County Court Judge Jonathan Nichols sentenced Hunt to 20-to-60 months for the class D felony, which will be served in New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. New York’s system allows for indeterminate sentences, in which inmates can earn time off for good behavior and early release under supervision.

A short stay

Hunt, who didn’t respond to a request for comment, had been executive director of NORBCC for just four months when he was fired in April 2022.

The NORBCC has never disclosed the reason for his firing, though Hunt said at the time that he was told it was because he had not given a truthful account about his previous employment, where he was fired in November 2021 over the questionable charges.

Hunt said he told NORBCC that he was under investigation for “financial irregularities” but could say little because of a non-disclosure agreement. The Columbia County Chamber’s lawyer denied there was an such agreement.

Judge Nichols on Monday ordered Hunt to make restitution for all the money that had been stolen. He has returned about $12,000 so far, according to the DA’s statement.

Turnover at the top

Hunt filed a civil lawsuit against NORBCC in New Orleans last September claiming he had been unfairly terminated. He claimed the real reason he was fired because he was a whistleblower exposing financial irregularities at NORBCC.

Jessica Vasquez said Tuesday that the lawsuit is still being pursued.

The Hunt episode is a setback for NORBCC board, which had been hoping the experienced chamber executive would bring a period of stability after the agency went through three executive directors in as many years before he was hired.

Jon Renthrope, CEO of Cajun Fire Brewery, was NORBCC interim executive director from May 2022 until March of this year. The position still has not been filled permanently.