A prison employee in New Orleans was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison on Thursday for facilitating the escape of ten inmates through an opening made by removing a toilet after he turned off its water supply.
Sterling Williams, 34, a custodian, pleaded guilty to a charge of malfeasance in office, having played a role in one of the most significant jailbreaks in recent U.S. history. In May 2025, after Williams cut off the water to a cell, the inmates managed to remove the toilet, crawl through a hole in the wall, and scale a prison fence to escape. They left a graffiti message saying, “To Easy LoL.”
Williams’ attorney, Michael Kennedy, asserted that his client did not deliberately assist the inmates in their escape but admitted to making some errors. Williams should have initiated a work order before stopping the water to address the clogged toilet, his lawyer noted.
“He acknowledges that he did not adhere to the proper procedures in his role as a public employee and recognizes that his actions may have inadvertently helped the inmates’ escape plan—though it was without his knowledge,” Kennedy stated.
In addition to his prison sentence, another 2.5 years were suspended, and Williams will be on probation for three years. The state also dropped ten charges against him related to being an accomplice in aggravated escape, which could have led to a maximum sentence of ten years under Louisiana law.
All ten inmates were eventually recaptured, but one convicted murderer evaded capture for five months before being found hiding under a house in Atlanta.
Each inmate is facing aggravated escape charges and is set for a jury trial in April.
Along with Williams, at least fourteen others, including friends and family of the escapees, were apprehended for allegedly assisting with the escape by providing food, money, transportation, and shelter.
Earlier this year, a grand jury issued a 30-count indictment against then-Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson for malfeasance, obstruction of justice, and falsifying public records.
While Hutson is not directly implicated in aiding the inmates’ escape, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill mentioned that an investigation revealed her poor oversight contributed to the circumstances that allowed the jailbreak to happen.
Bianka Brown, the sheriff’s office chief financial officer, faced similar charges with 20 counts against her as well. Both Hutson and Brown have pleaded not guilty.
