Fake judge got jail inmate released on his own recognizance, Louisiana cops say

A man pretending to be a judge over the phone succeeded in getting an acquaintance out of jail, according to investigators in southwest Louisiana.

The scam to light when the inmate went to court and staff realized he should still be in jail, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a Sept. 10 news release.

Charges against 42-year-old Adrian J. St. Romain include false impersonation and assisting an escape, the sheriff’s office said.

“Several suspicious phone calls ... were made to the Calcasieu Correctional Center between April and July. The calls came from a suspect that was later learned to be impersonating local judges in an attempt to fraudulently set an inmate’s bond,” authorities said.

“The suspect ... was able to verbally reduce an inmate’s bond to a ‘Released on Recognizance’ (ROR). In June the inmate was released on that fraudulent bond. When the inmate appeared for court on July 17, it was discovered the release had been granted under false pretenses. The inmate was immediately arrested and booked back into the Calcasieu Correctional Center,” authorities said.

Undeterred, St. Romain continued to impersonate judges in additional phone calls, working to get the man released again, officials said.

However, the calls only succeeded in leading investigators to their suspect, who lives in Lake Charles, the sheriff’s office said.

St. Romain was arrested Sept. 9 and charged with attempted simple escape, assisting escape, injuring public records and false impersonation, officials said. He also faces unrelated charges of theft, criminal trespass, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance, jail records show.

The identity of the inmate St. Romain assisted was not released.

“We have policies in place and have already made changes to ensure this type of situation does not happen again. This was an honest error that occurred due to lack of training, and we have addressed it,” Sheriff Stitch Guillory said in the release. “We did not release any information in July once it was discovered due to the fact our detectives and corrections personnel were in the middle of an active investigation. Revealing details too soon could have tipped off the suspect.”

Lake Charles is about a 205-mile drive west from New Orleans.

This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Fake judge got jail inmate released on his own recognizance, Louisiana cops say."