LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)- An appellate court upheld suspended City Marshal Brian Pope’s convictions, ruling he committed malfeasance in office. 

Pope was found guilty in October 2018 by a Lafayette Parish jury of using city marshal funds to hire attorneys for personal use. The jury also found him guilty of perjury. Fifteenth Judicial District Court Judge David Smith acquitted Pope of the perjury charge the same day he sentenced Pope. 

Pope appealed both the convictions and sentencing. However, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Lake Charles issued a decision Wednesday upholding those convictions.

The Third Circuit Court ruled that Pope intentionally spent marshal office funds for his personal benefit, even though Pope claimed it was at the direction of his attorney. 

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