A New Orleans DJ already sitting in jail on serious sex crime charges is now accused of quietly working club gigs while cashing workers’ compensation checks tied to his old job at the Sewerage & Water Board.
Warren Murphy, 51, who performs as DJ Hardhead, was arrested Monday, March 30, 2026, and rebooked after prosecutors alleged he defrauded the Sewerage & Water Board workers’ compensation program of more than $37,000. He was already behind bars on separate first-degree rape and intentional-exposure charges when agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and the state attorney general’s office took him into custody again. Investigators say Murphy failed to report paid DJ work on required monthly earnings forms while receiving benefits, which led to the new fraud allegation.
State agents say he worked gigs while collecting benefits
According to WDSU, Murphy reported being injured on the job and was placed in a non-work status by a doctor in July 2022, which required him to submit Monthly Report of Earnings forms disclosing any work activity. Agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation say they later found that Murphy was operating as “DJ Hardhead” at local venues from August to October 2022 and again from February to March 2023 but did not report those earnings. Prosecutors say that omission led to the allegation he defrauded the workers’ comp program, and he was rebooked on a charge of misrepresentations concerning benefits over $10,000.
Auditors flagged multiple claims at the utility
The Sewerage & Water Board’s 2024 annual report and accompanying auditor findings point to a broader problem at the utility. Auditors identified seven potentially fraudulent workers’ compensation claims and estimated about $209,000 in questionable indemnity and medical payments, and the board says it referred all potentially fraudulent claims to the state attorney general’s office. The Louisiana Legislative Auditor lists Murphy among several former employees the audit referenced and details gaps in internal controls that delayed detection.
Murphy’s prior criminal cases complicate proceedings
Murphy’s new booking lands on top of already serious criminal allegations. He turned himself in last December on a first-degree rape charge and has previously been accused of domestic abuse, as reported by FOX 8, and his earlier surrender to police was covered in December. Because of those pending cases, Murphy is likely to remain in custody while the workers’ compensation inquiry moves forward.
What a misrepresentation charge carries…