The $3 million contract with Bancroft Global Development comes after Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams championed the company's "case-hardening" prowess in a series of meetings with law enforcement leaders across the state.
Williams' office agreed last April to pay the firm $250,000 for a year to provide open-source, digital investigations with the aim of strengthening felony prosecutions. The task of scrubbing social media and other public data was subcontracted to a company called Tranquility AI.
The two-year contract with Murrill's office has allowed Bancroft to expand its reach statewide. The Washington, D.C.-based company this spring signed a deal with the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's Office and has been courting other prosecutors' offices in Louisiana.
The attorney general's contract became effective Oct. 1. It will "build upon" the work in New Orleans, according to summary information from the Louisiana Department of Administration. Bancroft will provide "support and training to help identify, target and dismantle the criminal networks responsible for violent crime and drug distribution," the summary states.
A request with Murrill's office for the agreement, filed on Oct. 23, was pending Monday.
In response to questions, the attorney general wrote that prosecutors in New Orleans and Baton Rouge have found Bancroft's work "invaluable in quickly pursuing leads and building cases."
The attorney general's office financed the deal through money appropriated by the legislature "for these efforts, which allows me to expand certain crime-fighting capabilities and support district attorneys across the state with these services," Murrill wrote. She declined to answer further funding questions.
The contract is far larger than the original agreement Bancroft signed with Williams' office, which totaled $250,000, though budget documents presented this month to the New Orleans City Council show payments of $300,000 to the firm since last year.
Williams' proposed 2025 budget does not include funding for Bancroft. Keith Lampkin, a spokesperson for the district attorney, said the company "continues to assist (the office) in presenting stronger cases to juries and making New Orleans a safer place through state funding directly allocated to Bancroft."
Making a pitch
Williams has credited the collaboration among prosecutors, Bancroft and Tranquility AI — called the "OSINT" unit, for open-source intelligence — with providing strong leads and evidence that have sealed convictions at "warp speed."
Lampkin said in a statement that Williams "has regularly presented publicly to law enforcement partners and state and local leaders about the partnership and how it adds another important element to our fight against" violent crime.
"This partnership adheres to constitutional mandates," Lampkin added.
Williams has declined to answer questions about how the team operates or offer details of OSINT's powers. The unit's opacity has alarmed some advocates.
"Residents of Louisiana deserve data transparency and transparency about the organizations that are working in the district attorney's office or in the state's criminal legal system," said Sarah Omojola, director of Vera Louisiana, a nonprofit research and policy organization. "We should know what's going on and all the potentially conflicting interests that are present."
A central figure in the company's expansion in Louisiana, Bancroft senior advisor Aaron Greenstone, is a close longtime friend of Williams, the district attorney has said. Greenstone declined to comment this week, referring questions to the district attorney's office.
An 'exploration'
Murrill's office isn't the first outside of New Orleans to see promise in Bancroft's work. Caddo Parish District Attorney James Stewart confirmed he has met with Bancroft Global and its AI partner. Stewart said last week that he hasn't committed to working with either company.
East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore in March signed a one-year, $100,000 contract with Bancroft. Moore said he agreed to test out the company after speaking with Williams, "who touted" its usefulness. Greenstone signed the agreement on behalf of Bancroft.
Moore described the collaboration with Bancroft as "still a work in progress" but said he's pleased with its initial investigations. He said that his office is not working with Tranquility AI.
AI inroads
In an interview last year, Williams downplayed the role of artificial intelligence in the work of the OSINT unit.
"We're not even that advanced yet," Williams said then, adding that AI would be "feasible years down the road."
Now, Williams suggests those capabilities have improved, enabling the office to "selectively incapacitate high impact criminals in our community" through "AI protocols developed by Williams and the Bancroft team," according to Lampkin's statement.
Tranquility AI markets a software product, TimePilot, based off its work in New Orleans. Williams was the company's "first customer," according to Tranquility AI co-founder Jim Penrose.
Penrose drew a public spotlight when he was identified last year as an unnamed conspirator to former President Donald Trump's alleged attempts to interfere with Georgia's 2020 election results. Williams has discounted the controversy while describing Penrose as "very proficient" in the work of OSINT.
It's unclear what role Tranquility AI might play in Bancroft's work for Murrill's office. Neither Penrose nor company co-founder Dave Harvilicz responded last week to emailed questions.
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