Greed, drugs, dirty cops, and the bitter feud burning up an $800 million oil-and-gas supply dynasty. IanFrisch reports
Illustration: Kelsey Dake Bryan Knight was already sweating through his rumpled dress shirt when the cops pulled him over.
Looking back on it now, nearly five years later, Bryan can’t readily pinpoint exactly when Mark turned on him. When I visited Lafayette in December, Bryan talked while he gave me a tour of the nearly 100,000-square-foot Knight Oil Tools headquarters, moving with a sluggish gait and favoring his left knee.
From 1975 to 1980, the total number of oil rigs in the United States tripled, and every big-name oil corporation needed equipment to extract the black gold. Lafayette had become Louisiana’s industry centerpiece, with nearly half of its economy coming from oil and gas and more than 500 oil-field-related businesses calling the city home. It even boasted the Petroleum Club, a members-only joint where local oilmen could drink whiskey, smoke cigars, shoot the breeze, and cut deals.
In early 2003, his ex-wife filed to secure sole custody of their 10-year-old child, saying that Bryan needed drug rehab and psychological counseling. That same year, he got into a physical fight with his new girlfriend and was arrested.
After Eddy’s death, Mark became president of Knight Oil Tools. Those who knew him at the time remember a wild spending spree. He built a $6 million mansion in an upscale Lafayette subdivision, bought a $1 million Prevost bus for tailgating, a Ford F650 Supertruck, a fleet of BMWs for him and his wife, and houses and apartments for his children.
Bryan wasn’t entirely cut off from the gravy train; he was still getting $360,000 in annual salary, plus a $250,000 bonus. It was a cushy life for a guy who didn’t have mandatory office hours other than a monthly board meeting. Plus, he was still partying a lot and thoroughly enjoying the freedom afforded by his family’s fortune. “When this stuff was going on, I have to admit, I was being wild, riding around like a bronco,” Bryan said.
Mark could be vindictive, too. He managed to persuade local authorities to file criminal charges against an interior decorator named Judy Lyons who had long worked for the family, claiming she had stolen $600,000 from Knight Oil Tools through fraudulent checks and invoices. The police came to her house unannounced, brought her to jail, and issued a $500,000 bond. Lyons, then 55, sat in jail for five days with chains around her wrists and ankles.
In early 2014, Manuel called Jason Kinch of the Lafayette Metro Narcotics Task Force and Corey Jackson of the Louisiana State Police and said he had work for them. The men had previously worked one-off jobs for Mark, including teaching concealed-weapons classes for executives and providing security details during family events. They were game for the assignment: surveilling Bryan to catch him while in possession of drugs.
Illustration: Kelsey Dake For all this, Kinch and Jackson were paid in cash installments. Additionally, Manuel was promised the equivalent of one year’s salary if they succeeded in getting Bryan arrested. Every couple of weeks, Manuel met Mark at his mansion, and Mark gave him $10,000 stuffed into a paper bag for the officers and to cover other expenses. But as the payments piled up, Mark grew impatient.
During a mid-morning break, Mark called Russell Manuel, who was awaiting the green light to frame Bryan. “Bryan’s here,” Manuel heard Mark say. “We are at the Lafayette Bar Association meeting. Get him today. Get him now.” A board meeting was scheduled for December 12, 2014, and the evening before, Mark, knowing his time at the company was up, called Veazey into his office and threatened his family with retaliation. Veazey, truly frightened, relayed what had happened at the board meeting the next day, and then the vote began to remove Mark as CEO of Knight Oil Tools.
Instead of staying quiet, Lemaire went to the sheriff’s office. When Judice brought Manuel in, he offered him immunity if he cooperated, and as Judice spoke, Manuel nodded his head in agreement, his bottom lip stuffed with chewing tobacco, his sunglasses slung around his neck.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Behind the bitter legal clash between Congress and the White House, who might win?When Democrats took control of the House last January, visions of subpoena power danced in their heads. Six months later, the question looms: Will they have anything to show for their efforts before
Read more »
Give children 'less sugar in baby food'There should be mandatory limits on sugar and parents should offer more bitter vegetables when weaning, a report says.
Read more »
NRA Pulls the Plug on NRATVAlex Wong/GettyNRATV appears to have signed off for good. According to a New York Times report, the NRA has shut down operations at the controversial internet video network amid a bitter legal battle with Ackerman McQueen, the ad firm responsible for the programming. The powerful gun rights group is
Read more »
What’s the Difference Between Canola Oil and Vegetable Oil?What happens when you put these two popular oils head to head?
Read more »