10 Inmates Escape Orleans Jail, FBI Expert Suspects Staff Involvement [WATCH]

A former FBI agent is raising serious concerns about staff complicity following the escape of 10 inmates from the Orleans Parish Jail, calling the large-scale breakout “impossible” without assistance from inside the facility, as reported by Fox News.

Scott Duffey, who served for 22 years with the FBI, including 10 years as a fugitive hunter, told Fox News Digital that the circumstances surrounding the May 17 escape strongly suggest a breach in internal security and potential employee involvement.

7 still at large and even more questions remain.

How is it not standard practice to have someone relieve the ONLY person watching the inmates in an entire pod?

She’s allowed a lunch (and presumably bathroom breaks?) but how is this not SOP??

These inmates have nothing but… pic.twitter.com/AKfwwlVLsl

— NOPJF (@nopjf) May 18, 2025

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“If 10 people did it, that means at least double that number knew about it,” Duffey said.

“That’s a big intel breach. And how can that happen without somebody on the inside not assisting?”

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Three Orleans Parish jail employees have already been suspended as authorities continue their investigation into how the inmates—many charged with violent offenses—managed to break out.

Duffey pointed to past examples where romantic involvement between inmates and staff played a role in similar incidents. “There are a number of reasons a corrections officer might help,” he said. “But a romantic relationship is certainly a plausible one.”

How did 11 New Orleans jail inmates escape?

New photos shows exit route, notes to jailers. See more: https://t.co/fBp2FyyiUQ pic.twitter.com/mBseu3vKgB

— NOLA.com (@NOLAnews) May 16, 2025

As law enforcement intensifies its search, Duffey said it’s likely that the escaped inmates remain in the New Orleans area and are seeking shelter from friends or family. He said investigators would be applying pressure to associates of the escapees.

“Everybody in the family is immediately being interviewed,” Duffey explained. “We want to know when the last contact was, and what assistance—if any—has been provided since the escape.”

Historic parallels are drawing renewed attention in light of the latest breakout.

In Alabama, Vicky White, a corrections officer, helped capital murder suspect Casey White escape in 2022. After 11 days on the run, the pair was caught in Indiana, where Vicky White died by suicide and Casey was captured.

In 2015, Joyce Mitchell assisted convicted murderers Richard Matt and David Sweat in escaping from New York’s Clinton Correctional Facility. Mitchell, who had relationships with both inmates, supplied tools for their escape. Matt was later shot and killed, and Sweat was recaptured.

Even international cases offer context. Mexican cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán escaped from prison in 2015 through a mile-long tunnel dug by cartel operatives. He was eventually recaptured and extradited to the United States, where he is now serving a life sentence.

The Texas 7 escape in 2000 also shares similarities. Seven inmates overpowered guards, stole weapons, and went on a violent crime spree that ended in the murder of a police officer and multiple death sentences.

The most famous U.S. prison escape occurred in 1962 at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, when three inmates escaped through air vents and vanished into the waters of San Francisco Bay. They were never found.

President Donald Trump recently mentioned the idea of reopening Alcatraz as a federal detention center.

The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office has yet to provide a full account of how the latest escape unfolded. Authorities are continuing their investigation, and no additional arrests have been made at this time.

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