Western District of Louisiana

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that four men from Illinois were sentenced Thursday for their roles in a wire fraud conspiracy to steal tens of thousands of dollars using Bossier City casino ATMs. 

Darus Sutton, 26, of Chicago, Ill., was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison with 18 months of supervised release; Jamal Campbell, 24, of Maywood, Ill, was sentenced to 30 months in prison with three years of supervised release; Jeremy L. Coleman, 25, of Harvey, Ill., was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison with three years of supervised release; and Nicholas Coleman, 27, of Harvey, Ill., was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison with three years of supervised release.  Additionally, Campbell was sentenced to a consecutive six-month sentence for one count of identity theft, which was a charge that arose out of a similar scheme in the Northern District of Indiana.  All defendants pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote presided over the hearing.

According to the guilty pleas, Sutton, Campbell, Jeremy Coleman, Nicholas Coleman and six other defendants visited the Horseshoe, Diamond Jacks and Harrah’s Louisiana Downs casinos on July 3 and 4 of 2014. The defendants used counterfeit credit cards at ATMs inside the gaming areas to make cash advances.  The cards displayed the names of the defendants but the account numbers of actual victims who had their credit card information stolen. The defendants performed 53 cash advances with a total of $61,438.86 stolen.

The other six defendants who previously pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count and have been sentenced are:

Charlie Nicholson, 25, of Melrose Park, Ill., was sentenced on February 12, 2016, to 22 months in prison with three years supervised release;

Ralphael Cassibery, 24, of Chicago, Ill., was sentenced on February 12, 2016, to 24 months in prison with three years supervised release;

Jeremiah J. Scott, 24, of Harvey, Ill., was sentenced on February 12, 2016, to 23 months in prison with three years supervised release;

Ray L. Holmes Jr., 28, of Harvey, Ill., was sentenced on February 19, 2016, to 30 months in prison with three years supervised release;

Tarnasha Harden, 35, of Harvey, Ill., was sentenced on February 19, 2016, to 18 months in prison with three years supervised release; and

Ashley Thomas, 26, of Harvey, Ill., was sentenced on February 19, 2016, to 12 months and one day in prison with three years supervised release.

All defendants must pay $61,438.86 in restitution joint and severally with each other.

The U.S. Secret Service and the Louisiana State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case.

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that two Winnfield men pleaded guilty Wednesday to possessing stolen firearms.

Ashton L. Howard, 33, and Aaron Thomas, 26, both of Winnfield, La., pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a stolen firearm in a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Hayes. Thomas also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Their pleas will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James. According to the guilty pleas, Howard and Thomas received and possessed 14 firearms, ammunition and other items from a Winnfield firearm seller on March 22, 2015. Howard drove four juveniles to a store where they loaded eight rifles, five shotguns, a revolver, ammunition, firearms parts, knives and other items into Howard’s van. Thomas later helped them unload the stolen items and store them under his house and in various locations. They both were aware the firearms were stolen.

Each defendant faces up to 10 years in prison, one to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of September 12, 2016 was set.

This investigation and prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a Department of Justice initiative to promote firearm safety and to reduce firearm crimes by preventing the possession and use of firearms by dangerous and persistent felons and others not authorized to possess a firearm.

The ATF and the Winnfield Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Gillespie Jr. is prosecuting the case.

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Tallulah based tax preparer pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of a tax return containing false information.

Frankie Cammack, 48, of Tallulah, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Hayes to one count of aiding and assisting in making and subscribing a fraudulent and false tax return. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James. According to testimony presented during the guilty plea, Cammack prepared 26 returns for eight different taxpayers for tax years 2009 through 2012, all of which contained false information regarding either business expenses or education credits. The false information was used to generate refunds totaling $114,791 to the taxpayers.

Cammack faces a maximum penalty of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. Sentencing is scheduled for September 12, 2016.

The IRS conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Flanagan is prosecuting the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a man from Maurice pleaded guilty to having an unregistered sawed-off shotgun.

Kevin Patrick Abshire, 31, of Maurice, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm; namely, a shotgun having a barrel less than 18 inches in length. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell.  According to the guilty plea, Abshire admitted that on June 6, 2015, he was involved in a high-speed car chase within the city limits of Lafayette and Lafayette Parish, after he nearly struck an officer of the Lafayette Police Department while that officer was directing traffic at an accident scene.  Instead of following the directions of the officers on the scene to turn off the engine to his vehicle, Abshire admitted that he drove away at a high rate of speed, causing officers of the Lafayette Police Department and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office to pursue Abshire’s vehicle.  Abshire was involved in a single-vehicle accident near the Ridge Road area of Lafayette, and upon exiting the vehicle, officers noticed that he was in possession of a shotgun.  Officers were successful in subduing Abshire and placing him into custody.  The investigation revealed that the shotgun Abshire possessed when he exited the vehicle was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, was loaded, and had a barrel length of 13-7/8 inches.

Abshire faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set. 

The ATF, Lafayette Police Department and Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Shreveport man pleaded guilty to sex trafficking.

Zayne Ghandi Anderson, 40, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to one count of sex trafficking of a minor.  According to the guilty plea, as part of an investigation, undercover law enforcement agents responded to an online advertisement for prostitution, which resulted in them contacting and meeting a 16-year-old female on April 17, 2015. Upon interviewing the minor, agents discovered that Anderson had posted the advertisement online and set up the meeting where the minor agreed to have commercial sex. Anderson was arrested after arriving to pick up the minor.

Anderson faces 10 years to life in prison, five years to life of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.  He also is required to register as a sex offender.  A sentencing date of October 14, 2016 was set.

The FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Earl M. Campbell and Jonathan S. Drucker are prosecuting the case.

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a federal jury found a couple who owned an Alexandria real estate company and an attorney guilty last week in a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $2 million in loans.

Deion A. Duruisseau, 47, and Lashawn A. Duruisseau, 41, both of Alexandria, and attorney Harold L. Lee, 55, of Pineville, La., were found guilty Thursday of one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, and two counts of bank fraud. The eight-day trial started May 31st and ended June 9th, with the jury deliberating for four hours. United States District Judge Dee D. Drell presided over the trial.

According to the testimony and evidence presented, between June 2004 and October 2009, the defendants conspired to provide fraudulent information in order to finance more than 30 properties with mortgage loans totaling $2,119,000. Many of the properties went into foreclosure and caused the lenders to suffer losses. Some of the buyers would later declare bankruptcy and attempt to discharge the debt owed to the lenders. The Duruisseaus’ company, Billionaire Properties, was used to further the scheme. Deion and Lashawn Duruisseau perpetrated the scheme by recruiting buyers from their church. The evidence showed that Deion Duruisseau would negotiate an initial contract with the seller of a rental property. Deion Duruisseau would negotiate a price and other conditions of sale for the investment property. Using the same property’s address but a recruited buyer’s information, he would then create a second contract. Deion Duruisseau would also increase the sale’s price of the property and submit the second contract to the loan company to initiate the mortgage loan process. This allowed him to pay the current owner of the property at the previously agreed upon price in the first contract, and then keep the difference of the increased amount negotiated with the lender. The seller of the property and the mortgage loan company never knew the second contract existed.

After the buyers were recruited, the Duruisseaus counseled and advised them on what false information to include on the mortgage applications. Examples of false or withheld information included false monthly incomes, fictitious assets and down payment omissions. As a result, loan companies were led to believe the buyers had sufficient assets and the capabilities to furnish the down payments for the purchase of the various investment properties.

Harold Lee, who operated as the closing attorney, also used his company, Alexandria Title, as the settlement agent in the scheme to defraud. Lee created trust accounts and deposited his own funds into that account to facilitate the misrepresentation to the lender that the recruited buyers had sufficient funds and assets qualifying them for the loans on the investment property.  Based on false information in loan applications and related documents, the lenders approved the loans. Once approved, the lenders issued closing instructions and an approved HUD-1 settlement statement to Lee as the lending agent. However, contrary to the lenders’ closing instruction and the approved HUD-1, Lee used the lenders’ funds for the personal financial benefit of the Durusisseaus and himself. Lee failed to disclose to the lenders that he was a part owner of the properties that were sold having provided the funds to purchase the properties months earlier in the name of Deion Duruisseau.  His failure to disclose to the lender his financial relationship with the Duruisseaus as a silent investor was a material omission.  In addition, Lee did not collect the down payment from the borrowers. Instead, this money came from the lenders’ own funds.  Lee also did not distribute the money in the way HUD-1 required the money to be distributed. Once the transaction was complete, he split the proceeds with the Duruisseaus.

The defendants face up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each conspiracy count and the bank fraud counts. They also face five years of supervised release and restitution. A sentencing date of September 8, 2016 was set.

The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cytheria D. Jernigan and Earl M. Campbell are prosecuting the case.

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Leesville resident was sentenced Thursday to 36 months in prison for burglarizing homes and a truck on the Fort Polk military installation.

Dakota Cole Yarbrough, 22, of Leesville, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi on one count of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.  According to the March 3, 2016 guilty plea, Yarbrough was driven to the outskirts of the Fort Polk U.S. Army base around 10 p.m. on August 5, 2015. He then illicitly crossed the fence onto the installation.  Once on the base, he illegally entered two residences where families were sleeping and stole personal belongings from the homes.  He also broke into and stole items from a pickup truck. The Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office found many of the stolen items in Yarbrough’s residence after a search on August 10, 2015.

The Fort Polk Directorate of Emergency Services and the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Shreveport man was sentenced this week to 240 months in prison for possessing methamphetamine, which he intended to sell.

Lloyd E. Barmore, 34, of Shreveport, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. According to the January 6, 2016 guilty plea, Louisiana State Police stopped Barmore’s vehicle on July 10, 2014. During a search of the vehicle, 915.2 grams of methamphetamine, a Springfield XD 9 mm handgun, digital scales and $5,914 in cash were found. The methamphetamine belonged to Barmore, and he intended to transfer or deliver it to another person. The driver of the vehicle was 16 years old.

“It is unacceptable that this felon put a child directly in harm’s way to further his continued drug trafficking,” said Finley. “Firearms and drugs are a dangerous combination. Methamphetamine cases are a priority for this office.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute these cases in an effort to make sure our communities are safe by keeping criminals like Barmore off the street.”

The DEA and the Louisiana State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney James G. Cowles Jr. prosecuted the case.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley of the Western District of Louisiana announced today that Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff Louis Ackal, Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Savoy and former Captain Mark Frederick were charged today in a superseding indictment with civil rights violations arising out of the beatings of two men.

The superseding indictment charges Ackal with one count of conspiracy against rights for conspiring in the spring of 2014 to assault a man who had been arrested on battery charges for allegedly assaulting one of Ackal’s relatives.  The superseding indictment also charges Savoy and Frederick with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for allegedly assaulting another man, a pre-trial detainee at the Iberia Parish Jail (IPJ) in September of 2011.  Ackal and Savoy had previously been charged related to beatings of pre-trial detainees at the IPJ on April 29, 2011.

Nine former Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office employees previously entered guilty pleas in related cases before U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi of the Western District of Louisiana.  The nine officers are former IPJ Warden Wesley Hayes, former IPJ Assistant Warden Jesse Hayes, former Lieutenant Bret Broussard of the Narcotics Unit, former narcotics agent Wade Bergeron, former narcotics agent Jason Comeaux, former narcotics agent David Hines, former narcotics agent Byron Benjamin Lassalle and former K-9 handlers Robert Burns and Jeremy Hatley.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.  If convicted, Ackal, Savoy and Frederick each face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each of the civil rights violations, as well as a potential $250,000 fine for each count.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Lafayette Resident Agency.  The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Joseph G. Jarzabek of the Western District of Louisiana and Special Litigation Counsel Mark Blumberg and Trial Attorney Tona Boyd of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.

Ackal Superseding Indictment

LAFAYETTE, La. – Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal, Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Savoy and former Captain Mark Frederick were charged in a superseding indictment with civil rights violations arising out of the beatings of two men.

The superseding indictment charges Ackal with one count of conspiracy against rights for conspiring in the spring of 2014 to assault a man who had been arrested on battery charges for allegedly assaulting one of Ackal’s relatives.  The superseding indictment also charges Savoy and Frederick with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for allegedly assaulting another man, a pre-trial detainee at the Iberia Parish Jail (IPJ) in September of 2011.  Ackal and Savoy had previously been charged related to beatings of pre-trial detainees at the IPJ on April 29, 2011.

Nine former Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office employees previously entered guilty pleas in related cases before U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi of the Western District of Louisiana.  The nine officers are former IPJ Warden Wesley Hayes, former IPJ Assistant Warden Jesse Hayes, former Lieutenant Bret Broussard of the Narcotics Unit, former narcotics agent Wade Bergeron, former narcotics agent Jason Comeaux, former narcotics agent David Hines, former narcotics agent Byron Benjamin Lassalle and former K-9 handlers Robert Burns and Jeremy Hatley.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.  If convicted, Ackal, Savoy and Frederick each face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each of the civil rights violations, as well as a potential $250,000 fine for each count.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Lafayette Resident Agency.  The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Joseph G. Jarzabek of the Western District of Louisiana and Special Litigation Counsel Mark Blumberg and Trial Attorney Tona Boyd of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Shreveport man was sentenced last week to 38 months in prison for stealing more than $397,000 from a privately held hospice company.

Demar Crozier Watson, 50, of Shreveport, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of federal program theft. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $397,255.68 in restitution. According to evidence presented at the December 8, 2015 guilty plea, Watson worked as the office manager for a Shreveport hospice provider in 2012 and 2013. Watson was responsible for paying bills, payroll and reconciling the financials for the company.  On November 7, 2013, Watson asked the owner to sign three blank checks he said would be used to pay bills for the company. After the hospice received a Medicare deposit for $176,442 on November 14, 2013, Watson wrote one of the checks to himself for $210,000.  Watson obtained a cashier’s check funded with the stolen money to buy a 2014 Mercedes SL550 for a female escort for $140,000.  According to evidence presented at sentencing, Watson also stole more than $90,000 by electronically transferring funds from the hospice’s bank accounts to his personal bank accounts.  Watson made the transfers look legitimate by using a shell company he established and labeling them as legal fees.  Watson also stole more than $96,000 from the hospice by fraudulently using a business credit card for personal items from various stores, a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with the female escort, and a number of very expensive gifts.

The FBI, Bossier City Police Department, Shreveport Police Department and the Houston Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike O’Mara and Cytheria D. Jernigan prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Texas man was sentenced Wednesday to 60 months in prison for possessing cocaine.

Laraymeon Jevon Watson, 32, of Lufkin, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to the February 25, 2016 guilty plea, Watson received cocaine powder and Ecstasy pills from a supplier in Texas. When his vehicle was stopped on June 24, 2015 near Greenwood, La., for a traffic violation, approximately 8 ounces of cocaine powder and more than 3,000 Ecstasy pills were found. He admitted he planned to sell the drugs.

The defendant was arrested as part of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation “River City Blues.”  The DEA, the Louisiana State Police, and the Lufkin Police Department investigated the case.  The OCDETF program is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt and dismantle the targeted criminal organization, and to seize its assets.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James G. Cowles Jr. prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that two Texas men were sentenced for conspiring to transport approximately 28 kilograms of powder cocaine.

Ricardo Garcia, 28, and Jesus Christian Martinez, 34, both of Brownsville, Texas, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to 72 months and 62 months in prison respectively on one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute powder cocaine.  They were also sentenced to five years of supervised release. According to the December 21, 2015 guilty pleas, Louisiana State Police conducted a traffic stop on February 3, 2015 on a vehicle Garcia and Martinez were traveling in that was heading eastbound on I-20 in Bossier Parish. The vehicle displayed North Carolina license plates but was not registered to either the driver or the passenger.  After further investigation, troopers searched the vehicle and found 28 kilogram-size packages of powder cocaine inside of a speaker box in the trunk.

The DEA-Shreveport Office and Louisiana State Police-Troop G conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison D. Bushnell prosecuted the case.

LAFAYETTE – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that an Opelousas man was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for using a computer to steal money, hacking computers to obtain passwords, and attempting to sell information on the online hacking forum known as “Darkode.”

Rory Stephen Guidry, 29, aka k@exploit.im, of Opelousas, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of obtaining information by computer from a protected computer. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to the February 5, 2016 guilty plea, in July of 2014 while living in Liberty Hill, Texas, Guidry participated in an online hacking attack on a server in Austin, Texas. He moved to his grandparents’ home in Opelousas in March of 2015 after an investigation ensued as a result of the server attack. While in Opelousas, he continued to use his skills to hack into personal computers and controlled them with malware and a botnet.  Guidry attempted to hack into and control more than 5,000 computers, and he attempted to sell the botnet to another hacker on Darkode. Guidry also used his hacking skills and conspired with another individual to steal more than $80,000 in bitcoin. He received half, $40,000, of the bitcoin and converted some of it to money, which he spent. Guidry also admitted to hacking another computer to take more than 5,000 active credit card accounts. He was in possession of the credit card numbers and personal identifiers when he was arrested by the FBI.

In July of 2015, the Department of Justice and other agencies dismantled Darkode. Criminal charges were filed in the Western District of Louisiana, the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere against 12 individuals associated with the forum. As alleged in the charging documents, Darkode was an online, password-protected forum in which hackers and other cyber-criminals convened to buy, sell, trade and share information, ideas, and tools to facilitate unlawful and unauthorized intrusions on computers and electronic devices.  Before becoming a member of Darkode, prospective members were allegedly vetted through a process in which an existing member invited a prospective member to the forum for the purpose of presenting the skills or products that he or she could bring to the group.  Darkode members used each other’s skills and products to infect computers and electronic devices of victims around the world with malware. They would then gain access to, and control over, those devices.   

The takedown of the forum and the charges were announced on July 15, 2015 as a result of the FBI’s infiltration of the Darkode’s membership. Twenty nations participated in the coordinated effort of law enforcement to charge, arrest or search 70 Darkode members and associates around the world.

“Cybercrime threatens anyone and everyone in our ever-increasingly internet-connected world,” Finley stated. “Computer criminals will not be able to hide or maintain their anonymity, and they will be prosecuted locally, nationally and internationally. Through coordinated responses and international cooperation of our law enforcement partners, defendants such as Mr. Guidry who are involved in computer hacking forums will see their organizations dismantled and individuals prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

This investigation, Operation Shrouded Horizon, is being conducted by the FBI with assistance from Europol and their European Cyber Crime Center (EC3).  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James T. Kitchen and Charles A. Eberle of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorneys Gavin A. Corn, Marie-Flore Johnson and Harold Chun of CCIPS, Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica O’Neil of the Eastern District of Wisconsin and Assistant U.S. Attorney Myers Namie of the Western District of Louisiana.  The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.  

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Texas man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy in Lafayette, New Iberia and the surrounding areas.

Gary Hunt, 60, of Splendora, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. According to the February 5, 2016 guilty plea, the defendants conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine in New Iberia, Lafayette and the surrounding areas. Elliot Jolet, 36, and Anita Desormeaux, 44, both of New Iberia, purchased methamphetamine from Hunt in Texas and then transported it to the south central Louisiana area where it was distributed. The investigation also resulted in the seizure of crystal methamphetamine, more than $5,400, a vehicle and several firearms.

Jolet was sentenced on December 8, 2015 to 180 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Desormeaux was sentenced on November 24, 2015 to 157 months in prison and four years of supervised release.

The other 11 defendants who also pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count are:

Ko Chanhkongshinh, 39, of Youngsville, La., was sentenced on January 14, 2016 to 75 months in prison and three years of supervised release;

Jenee Lynn Hargrave, 30, of Scott, La., was sentenced on January 14, 2016 to 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release;

David Lowery, 34, of New Iberia, was sentenced on October 28, 2015 to 30 months in prison and two years of supervised release;

Everette Dupuis, 40, of New Iberia, was sentenced on January 13, 2016 to 40 months in prison and two years of supervised release;

Michael Guidry, 46, of Erath, La., was sentenced on October 28, 2015 to 66 months in prison and three years of supervised release;

Tyrone Howard, 44, of Youngsville, was sentenced on January 11, 2016 to 40 months in prison and two years of supervised release;

Kevin Jefferson, 32, of New Iberia, was sentenced on January 11, 2016 to 68 months in prison and five years of supervised release;

Nared Souphannavong, 30, of New Iberia, was sentenced on January 13, 2016 to 24 months in prison and five years of supervised release;

Brandi Boullion, 29, of New Iberia, was sentenced on January 13, 2016 to time served and two years of supervised release;

Dewey Migues, 37, of New Iberia, was sentenced on November 24, 2015 to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release; and

Corey Freyou, 39, of New Iberia, was sentenced on November 18, 2015 to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

The investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation. The DEA, Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Lafayette Police Department participated in this OCDETF investigation. The U.S. Marshal’s Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Lafayette City Marshal’s Office assisted in the arrests. The OCDETF program is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt and dismantle the targeted criminal organization, and to seize its assets. 

“Methamphetamine drug traffickers distribution networks are priority prosecutions for this office,” Finley stated. “The poison these defendants sell hurts our communities and spawns more crimes. I’m thankful to the law enforcement agents and prosecutors who worked hard to make sure our communities are safe and ensured a successful conclusion to this case.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Myers P. Namie, Daniel J. McCoy and Robert F. Moore prosecuted the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a federal jury found a man from Patterson guilty in a scheme to use stolen identities to file false tax returns and pocket refunds.

Louis W. Carbins Jr., 36, of Patterson, La., was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, seven counts of theft of government money and one count of aggravated identity theft. The three-day trial started Monday and ended today with the jury deliberating for 30 minutes. United States District Judge Dee D. Drell presided over the trial. According to the testimony and evidence presented, from February 2013 to August of 2013, Carbins and co-defendant Laphrida T. Watts, 39, from Morgan City, La., knew and allowed individuals from overseas to use stolen identities to file tax returns. The overseas individuals then directed the IRS to deposit the refunds into Carbins’ bank accounts. Carbins and Watts would then wire some of the money overseas and keep the rest.  The IRS issued more than $815,000 in refunds to Carbins’ accounts. Carbins and Watts spent $45,681.22 of the funds.

Watts pleaded guilty on January 13, 2016 to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of aggravated identity theft. She faces up to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for the conspiracy count and an additional two years in prison for the identity theft count, which will be served consecutive to the penalty imposed for the conspiracy count. Carbins faces the same counts as Watts in addition to the seven counts of government money theft. The theft count carries a penalty of 10 years in prison. They both also face three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Watts is scheduled to be sentenced on June 28, 2016, and Carbins is scheduled to be sentenced August 29, 2016.

The IRS conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly P. Uebinger and Robert F. Moore are prosecuting the case.

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a man from Monroe pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine for later sale.

Travis C. Mills, 34, of Monroe, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Hayes to one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.  The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James. According to the guilty plea, law enforcement agents arrested Mills on October 7, 2015, as he was leaving his home. They found 115 grams of methamphetamine in a brown paper bag in the front seat of his car. His home was also searched, and 84 grams of methamphetamine were found.

Mills faces five to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a $5 million fine.  A sentencing date of September 7, 2016 was set.

The DEA and Ouachita Parish Metro Narcotics Task Force conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Drucker and James G. Cowles Jr. are prosecuting the case.

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Mexican citizen was sentenced to 30 months in prison for taking part in a conspiracy to transport and sell cocaine.

Omar Sanchez Ortuno, 23, of Puebla, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi on one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He was also sentenced to four years of supervised release. According to the February 12, 2016 guilty plea, law enforcement agents monitored a deal and delivery involving Ortuno on April 29, 2014. Omar delivered 1.5 kilograms of cocaine from Houston to cocaine distributors in Lake Charles. The vehicles involved in the deal were stopped and the individuals involved were arrested, and authorities seized the vehicle, cocaine and $33,000 in cash. The agents had been investigating Ortuno and his co-conspirators prior to his arrest. The investigation revealed multiple deliveries of cocaine from Ortuno to his Louisiana contacts, who then redistributed the cocaine in smaller amounts in the Lake Charles community.  Ortuno was identified by law enforcement as a delivery person or runner, and as a minor participant.

Homeland Security Investigations, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Louisiana State Police, and the Calcasieu Parish Anti-Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Myers P. Namie prosecuted the case.

LAKE CHARLES – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Lake Charles woman pleaded guilty to stealing more than $230,000 from her employer’s bank account.

Melissa D. Crookshank, 33, of Lake Charles, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi to one count of wire fraud.  According to the guilty plea, Crookshank, who worked as a bookkeeper for a Hackberry, La., company, stole $235,155.79 from her employer starting in 2009 and continuing until January of 2015. Crookshank issued checks to herself during that time without authorization from the company owners, which she deposited into her own bank accounts for personal use.

Crookshank faces 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date of August 25, 2016 was set.

The U.S. Secret Service and the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard C. Parker is prosecuting the case. 

SHREVEPORT/LAFAYETTE/ALEXANDRIA/LAKE CHARLES/MONROE, La.: Members of the public join with law enforcement across the country for National Police Week – May 15th through May 21st – to honor law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, as well as the family members, friends and fellow officers they left behind.

“National Police Week is a special opportunity to recognize the great and heroic work of law enforcement officers,” said U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley. “We pay a special tribute to those who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. There is no greater service to one’s community than to be prepared to die for the safety of others.”

This year, the names of 128 officers killed in the line of duty are being added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., during the 28th Annual 2016 Candlelight Vigil on the evening of May 13th. These names include officers who were killed during 2015 and officers who died in previous years who have not been previously added to the Memorial. The fallen officers of 2015 include four members of the law enforcement community in the Western District of Louisiana: 

• Juandre Devon Gilliam Sr., Jeanerette Police Department, who died April 8, 2015;

• Thomas Joseph LaValley, Shreveport Police Department, who died August 5, 2015;

• Steven J. Vincent, Louisiana State Police, who died August 24, 2015; and

• Henry Andres Nelson, Sunset Police Department, who died August 26, 2015.

To assist local public safety officers in the work that they do, the U.S. Attorney’s Office offers a number safety and survival training throughout the year. The Western District’s Law Enforcement Community Coordinator is Mike Campbell, a former Shreveport Police Chief, who oversees the course curricula and sessions. The courses are open to federal, state, local, military and tribal law enforcement officers.

“We are committed to provide training to assist our law enforcement officers to do their jobs better and safer,” Finley stated. “Our goal is for all public safety officers to return home to their families at the end of their shifts each and every day.”

National Police Week is a collaborative effort of many organizations dedicated to honoring America’s law enforcement community.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a man from Honduras pleaded guilty last week to submitting false information when applying for a passport.

Henry Arevalo, 28, of Honduras, entered a conditional guilty plea Friday for one count of false statement on a passport application before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter. According to the guilty plea, Arevalo used another person’s name, birthdate and social security number on a passport application on April 17, 2015 at a U.S. Post Office in Calcasieu Parish. He attempted to obtain the passport for personal use.

Arevalo faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date was not set.

The U.S. State Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Rossetti is prosecuting the case.

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a man from Mexico was sentenced last week to 57 months in prison for re-entering the United States after removal.

Francisco Hernandez-Urtusoastigui, 37, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi on one count of illegal re-entry of a removed alien. According to the December 2, 2016 guilty plea, Lake Charles Police stopped the defendant for a traffic violation on July 28, 2015. He did not have identification and admitted to being in the country illegally.  Hernandez-Urtusoastigui has been deported at least five times. He also has a previous federal conviction in 2009 and in 2012.

Homeland Security Investigations-Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the Lake Charles Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moore prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a man from Texas was sentenced to 178 months in prison for bringing a minor to Shreveport to engage in prostitution.

Larry D. Bluitt, 27, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in prostitution. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. According to the October 8, 2015 guilty plea, a law enforcement agent working in an undercover capacity responded to an online ad for prostitution on December 17, 2014. The undercover agent arranged to meet an individual at a Shreveport hotel for the purpose of prostitution. Agents observed Bluitt driving a 14-year-old female to the hotel to meet the undercover agent for sex. After he dropped off the juvenile, Bluitt was arrested by members of the FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force. Bluitt admitted he drove the minor female from Dallas to Shreveport for prostitution.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

“Human sex trafficking is a form of modern slavery that is made even worse in this case because the defendant was using a child,” Finley stated. “Prosecuting crimes such as this one are a top priority for this office. Our efforts are focused on stopping these crimes in our district so that no one has to endure the pain and torture. I want to thank the federal, state and local agencies and the prosecutor who work so hard to successfully investigate and prosecute these cases.”

Those concerned may leave tips with the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. Tips may be submitted anonymously.  The Shreveport FBI office number is (318) 861-1890.

The FBI-Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Earl M. Campbell is prosecuting the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Lafayette woman pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing gift cards from envelopes while working as a postal employee.

Tonia R. Moore-Parker, 36, of Lafayette, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick Hanna to one count of theft of mail matter by a postal service employee. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter. According to the guilty plea, Moore-Parker worked as a U.S. Postal Service employee from October 8 to October 31, 2015 and was entrusted with mail matter. During that time, she opened five envelopes and stole gift cards worth $150.

Moore-Parker faces five years in prison, three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date was not set.

The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Rossetti is prosecuting the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Shreveport woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing more than $200,000 in Social Security benefits.

Rose Marie Jackson, 78, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to one count of theft of government property.  According to the guilty plea, Jackson received $206,891 in Social Security benefits from March of 1986 to January of 2015 to which she was not entitled. Thomas Jackson died in 1986, but the Social Security benefit checks continued to be sent to a shared post office box. Rose Jackson continued to cash the checks and signed them with Thomas Jackson’s name. The Social Security Administration was not aware of Thomas Jackson’s death, and Rose Jackson did not alert the office to the truth during that time.

Jackson faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution.  A sentencing date of September 8, 2016 was set.

The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown is prosecuting the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Louisiana third party commercial driver’s license skills examiner pleaded guilty to falsifying test results by indicating a passing grade for driving skills tests that never took place.

Christopher D. Pender, 40, of Stonewall, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to one count of making and using a false writing and document.  According to the guilty plea, Pender, who was certified to administer commercial driver’s license skills tests, provided an applicant with a “Commercial Driver’s Skills Test Certificate” in November of 2014 when the applicant had not even taken, much less passed, the federally required test. He did this in exchange for cash, which allowed the applicant to fraudulently obtain a Louisiana commercial driver’s license.

Pender faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing is scheduled for September 8, 2016.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and the Louisiana State Police conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys William J. Flanagan and Michael O’Mara are prosecuting the case.

SHREVEPORT, LAFAYETTE, MONROE, ALEXANDRIA, LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley urges the public to get out this weekend and throw out unused prescription drugs.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and more than 3,800 national, tribal and community law enforcement partners nationwide will be promoting National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day with events across the nation this weekend. The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day provides a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs. It also educates the public about the potential for abuse of medications.  Unused medications in homes create a public health and safety concern because they are highly susceptible to accidental ingestion, theft, misuse and abuse. More than 46,000 Americans die each year from drug-related deaths, and more than half of those are from heroin and prescription opioids. The DEA reports that almost twice as many Americans (6.5 million) abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin and inhalants combined, according to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  More Americans died in 2010 from overdoses of prescription medications (22,134, including 16,651 from narcotic painkillers) than from motor vehicle accidents, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Studies show that the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

The DEA will have collection sites across the country on Saturday, April 30th, for those who are interested in bringing their unused or expired prescription drugs for proper disposal.  Only pills and other solids, like patches, can be brought to the collection sites – liquids and needles or other sharp objects will not be accepted.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Prescription drugs can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, at the following sites:

Shreveport

• Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff’s Safety Town in the Parking Lot of Summer Grove Baptist Church, 8910 Jewella Ave.

Bossier City

• Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office Viking Drive Substation, 2510 Viking Drive

• Louisiana State Police Troop G office, 5300 Industrial Drive, Extended

Barskdale Air Force Base

• 455 Curtis Road

Monroe

• Louisiana State Police Troop F office, 1240 Highway 594

Alexandria

• Louisiana State Police Troop E office, 1710 Odom St.

• Alexandria Police Department, 1000 Bolton Ave.

Lafayette

• Louisiana State Police Troop I office, 121 E. Pont Des Mouton Road

Broussard

• Broussard Police Department at Walgreen’s Parking Lot, 105 St. Nazaire

Lake Charles

• Lake Charles Police Department at the Lake Charles Civic Center Parking Lot, 900 Lakeshore Drive

• Louisiana State Police Troop D office, 805 Main St.

The public can also find a nearby collection site by visiting www.dea.gov, clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon, and following the links to a database where they enter their zip code or call 800-882-9539.

SHREVEPORT – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley and Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator partnered to hold roundtable discussions, a tour and other events for National Reentry Week.

The program, called Project A.C.E. (Addressing, Connecting and Educating), featured U.S. Attorney’s Office staff, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office staff and others discussing ways to reduce recidivism in our communities. The event started Wednesday with a roundtable discussion at the U.S. Courthouse on Fannin Street where U.S. Attorney Office staff, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office staff, public officials, law enforcement, attorneys, prison staff and others joined to talk about how to better assist those who reenter society after completing their prison terms. There were more than 15 agencies with 40-plus representatives present. They shared their successes as well as hardships with reentry. The hope is that offering more and improved tailor-made training, counseling, medical and mental treatment, and other assistance to those incarcerated will reduce the chances that prosecuted individuals will end up back in prison.  The event also featured a tour of the Caddo Parish Work Release-Reentry Facility Thursday on Forum Drive so that visitors could see work already being conducted.

As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to strengthening the criminal justice system, the Department of Justice designated April 24 to 30, 2016, as National Reentry Week. Each year more than 600,000 citizens return to neighborhoods after serving time in federal and state prisons.  Another 11.4 million individuals cycle through local jails.  Nearly one in three Americans of working age have had some sort of encounter with the criminal justice system — mostly for relatively minor, non-violent offenses and sometimes from decades in the past.  The long-term impact of a criminal record prevents many people from obtaining employment, housing, higher education and credit — and these barriers affect returning individuals even if they have turned their lives around and are unlikely to reoffend.

The Department of Justice outlined principles in the “Roadmap to Reentry” through work with the Federal Interagency Reentry Council, which has been working since its creation five years ago to reduce recidivism and improve employment, education, housing, health and child welfare outcomes.

National Reentry Week events were planned in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  United States Attorney’s Offices alone are hosting more than 200 events, and U.S. Bureau of Prisons facilities are holding more than 370 events.

For more information see the additional resources below:

President’s Weekly Address: REENTRY

National Reentry Week Webpage

REPORT: Roadmap to Reentry

INFOGRAPHIC: Roadmap to Reentry

FACT SHEET: BOP Reentry

FACT SHEET: Federal Interagency Reentry Council

FACT SHEET: Fair Chance Business Pledge

REPORT: CEA Report

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Natchitoches man pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing methamphetamine and a firearm.

Harold Jumale Anderson, 42, of Natchitoches, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell to one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.  According to the guilty plea, law enforcement agents conducted a controlled buy of methamphetamine using a confidential informant on August 18, 2015 in Alexandria.  After his arrest, Anderson’s residence was searched.  Agents found more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, a loaded Ruger 9 mm handgun and additional ammunition in his bedroom.

Anderson faces 10 years to life in prison for the methamphetamine possession count.  He also faces a minimum of five years in prison for the firearm count, which will run consecutive to the methamphetamine possession count.  He also faces at least five years of supervised release and a $10 million fine.  A sentencing date of July 20, 2016 was set.

The FBI and the Louisiana State Police conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison D. Bushnell is prosecuting the case.

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a citizen of El Salvador pleaded guilty Monday to transporting illegal immigrants for his own profit.

Raul Alexander Soriano, 29, of El Salvador, pleaded guilty before by U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay to one count of transporting illegal aliens.  The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi.  According to the guilty plea, Border Patrol agents stopped Soriano’s vehicle on December 22, 2015, near Lake Charles.  Four passengers were found in the vehicle with Soriano, and each admitted to being in the United States illegally. The passengers had paid Soriano to be transported to other areas of the United States as part of a human smuggling operation.

Soriano faces 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of August 11, 2016, was set.

United States Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph is prosecuting the case.

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Lake Charles resident formerly from Texas pleaded guilty last week to failing to update his sex offender registration.

John L. Edwards, 59, of Lake Charles, pleaded guilty Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay to one count of failure to update sex offender registration.  The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi. According to the guilty plea, the Dallas Police Department received a tip that Edwards was residing in Lake Charles. A warrant was executed, and he was arrested on December 28, 2015 in Lake Charles. Edwards later admitted to moving to Lake Charles from Dallas on June 21, 2015. In 2002, Edwards was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender on a quarterly basis for life. His last registration was in Texas in June of 2014.

Edwards faces up to 10 years in prison, five years to life supervised release and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date of August 11, 2016 has been set.

The U.S. Marshals Service and Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog is prosecuting the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that the former director of the Morgan City Housing Authority and a former employee pleaded guilty to charges related to theft of more than a half a million dollars.

Charles E. Spann, 78, of Kingsport, Tenn., and Tori D. Johnson, 38, of Morgan City, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter. According to the guilty plea, Spann, Johnson and two other Morgan City Housing Authority employees received $514,764.14 in bonus payments to which they were not entitled from 2007 to 2013. In 2007, a one-time bonus for work performed in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita was granted. After the one-time bonuses were sent to all employees of the housing authority, Johnson requested from Spann, who was director of the housing authority, that she, Spann and two other employees, Diana L. Pace, 64, and Sandra L. Greene, 59, both of Morgan City, continue to receive bonuses. Johnson wrote false justifications for the bonuses and Spann signed off on them. The bonuses were not approved by the civil service board or the Morgan City Housing Authority Board of Directors. Span received $111,657.47, and Johnson received $100,040.23 to which they were not entitled.

The defendants face five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date of June 27, 2016 was set for Spann and Johnson.

The U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Investigations, conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly P. Uebinger and Robert F. Moore are prosecuting the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Shreveport man pleaded guilty to possessing a loaded revolver after being convicted of a felony.

Joseph Dominic Pronnette Jr., 34, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. According to the guilty plea, members of the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force executed an arrest warrant on September 13, 2015 on Pronnette for a prior felony.  He was found in the driver’s seat of a car parked behind a residence in Shreveport.  After he was removed from the car and taken into custody, a loaded .38 caliber revolver was found on the driver’s seat.

It is unlawful for Pronnette to possess a firearm or ammunition as he has prior felony convictions for felony theft, simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, and domestic abuse aggravated assault.

Pronnette faces up to 10 years in prison, one to three years supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of August 1, 2016 was set.

This investigation and prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a Department of Justice initiative to promote firearm safety and to reduce firearm crimes by preventing the possession and use of firearms by dangerous and persistent felons and others not authorized to possess a firearm.

The ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Louisiana Department of Corrections Probation and Parole, and Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Gillespie Jr. is prosecuting the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a former Shreveport chiropractor and his son pleaded guilty Tuesday to funneling money through an unlawful bitcoin financial scheme.

Randall Bryan Lord, 58, and his son, Michael Aaron Lord, 29, both of Shreveport, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. They pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money servicing business. In addition, Michael Lord pleaded guilty to one count of drug conspiracy for agreeing to distribute controlled dangerous substances to include alprazolam, a Schedule IV controlled substance. According to the guilty plea, from at least 2013 to 2015, the defendants were accepting currency, money orders and money paks and exchanging those funds for bitcoin, a decentralized form of electronic or digital currency, existing entirely on the Internet and not in any physical form. Contrary to law, the Lords were not registered with FinCEN or licensed to operate as a money service business with the State of Louisiana.  The Lords also failed to report the receipt of more than $10,000 in U.S. currency. Also, beginning in March 2015, Michael Lord was involved in a drug conspiracy to distribute alprazolam. 

The defendants face five years in prison for the conspiracy count, and Michael Lord faces five years in prison for the drug count. They also face three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of August 1, 2016 was set.

The IRS, FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cytheria D. Jernigan is prosecuting the case.

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Winnfield resident was sentenced last week to 70 months in prison for failing to register as a sex offender after moving to Louisiana from Michigan.

Dexter Lavar Powell, 38, of Winnfield, La., was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of failure to register as a sex offender. Powell was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.  According to the January 12, 2016 guilty plea, Powell traveled to Louisiana from Michigan between November 2013 and May 2014. On May 7, 2014, Powell applied for and received a Louisiana identification card that did not have the required “sex offender” label listing a Winnfield address.  He began living and working in Winn Parish in May 2014. Even after being contacted by authorities and told to register, he never registered as a sex offender in Louisiana.  While not registered as a sex offender, Powell committed and pleaded guilty in March 2015 to felony cruelty to a juvenile in Winn Parish.  After repeated attempts to capture him, the U.S. Marshals Service arrested him on September 2, 2015. Powell is required to register as a sex offender for life based on a 2000 conviction for attempted kidnapping of a 9-month-old child in Michigan.

The U.S. Marshal’s Service and Winnfield Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael O’Mara is prosecuting the case.

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a bankruptcy attorney was sentenced to 34 months in prison for collecting filing fees from clients without informing the bankruptcy court.

Glay H. Collier II, 53, of Benton, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James on one count of bankruptcy fraud. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $69,063.05 restitution. According to evidence presented at the November 10, 2015 guilty plea, Collier filed records into the bankruptcy court stating that he would accept “No Look” fees as payment for his services. The “No Look” fee caps attorney’s fees in bankruptcy proceedings to $2,800. In excess of that limit, Collier charged up to $281 in filing fees to some clients, which he did not disclose to the court. Between March 2010 and November 2013, Collier filed 983 Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases in Monroe, and during the same time period, he filed 2,160 Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases in Shreveport. In approximately 479 of these cases, Collier fraudulently collected and attempted to collect filing fees.

The FBI and the U.S. Trustee’s Office, Region 5, conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cytheria D. Jernigan prosecuted the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that an Alexandria man pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempting to send obscene material to a minor.

William Ware, 38, of Alexandria, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell to one count of attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor. According to the guilty plea, on December 9, 2014, Ware contacted a 13-year-old minor female using social media over the internet. He then sent the minor two sexually explicit videos using an internet chat service. The minor was in fact an undercover agent, and Ware was later arrested.

Ware faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of July 20, 2016 was set.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423.  Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app. Tips may be submitted anonymously.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Melville man was sentenced Tuesday to 120 months in prison for storing child pornography on electronic devices.

Russell Guillory, 34, of Melville, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of possession of child pornography. He was also sentenced to 15 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. According to the October 9, 2015 guilty plea, Guillory’s home was searched in January of 2015. The investigation uncovered four electronic devices Guillory owned containing 75 videos and six images of child pornography. The Court noted that the child pornography involved extremely young children and babies and was some of the most disturbing of which he was aware.

“The exploitation of children through pornography is a horrible and reprehensible crime,” Finley stated. “We take our responsibility to protect children seriously as this prosecution and sentencing once again demonstrates.”

Homeland Security Investigations and the Louisiana State Police investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamilla A. Bynog and John Luke Walker are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423.  Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application (www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app). Tips may be submitted anonymously.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a man from Mexico was sentenced to 18 months in prison on charges that he reentered the United States illegally at least three times.

Felipe Escobar-Martinez, 41, of Veracruz, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of illegal reentry of a removed alien. According to the December 22, 2015 guilty plea, the defendant was arrested in New Iberia, La.  Escobar-Martinez admits he is a national of Mexico and was removed from the United States in 1999, 2000 and 2005. The defendant also admits that in June 2000, he was convicted of a crime qualifying as an aggravated felony in Maricopa County, Ariz.

United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Rossetti prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Shreveport man pleaded guilty last week to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Latrenton D. Washington, 28, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty Friday before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to the guilty plea, while executing a warrant for another defendant at Washington’s residence on August 12, 2014, Shreveport police and Louisiana Probation and Parole agents discovered marijuana, scales and packaging items along with a loaded Romarm WASR-10 semi-automatic rifle with a drum magazine holding 65 rounds of 7.62x39 mm ammunition and a loaded Taurus .45 caliber pistol in Washington’s bedroom.

Washington faces up to five years in prison on the possession with intent to distribute marijuana count and an additional mandatory sentence of five years to life in prison for the possession of a firearm in the furtherance of the drug trafficking count.  The five year sentence for the firearm is mandatory and runs consecutive to his sentence on the possession with intent to distribute marijuana count.  Additionally, he faces five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for each count. A sentencing date of August 4, 2016 was set.

This investigation and prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a Department of Justice initiative to promote firearm safety and to reduce firearm crimes by preventing the possession and use of firearms by dangerous and persistent felons and others not authorized to possess a firearm.

The ATF, Louisiana State Probation and Parole, and Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Gillespie Jr. is prosecuting the case.

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that an El Paso man pleaded guilty last week to conspiring to transport and distribute methamphetamine.

Eduardo Guerrero, 24, of El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty Friday before U.S. District Judge Robert G. James to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  According to the guilty plea, Louisiana State Police troopers conducted a traffic stop on a pickup truck traveling eastbound on Interstate 20 in Ouachita Parish in March of 2015.  After a search of the vehicle, two gas tanks were found on the vehicle and one contained 16 gallons of liquid methamphetamine, which is approximately 28.8 kilograms of pure methamphetamine.  The driver and passenger did not own the vehicle.  Guerrero was determined to be the owner, and the driver said Guerrero had directed him to transport the methamphetamine from El Paso to Atlanta, Ga.  State police arrested Guerrero in the New Orleans area while he traveled to retrieve the truck and methamphetamine.

Guerrero faces up to a minimum of 10 years to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a $1 million fine.  Sentencing has been set for July 5, 2016.

The DEA, Department of Homeland Security, and Louisiana State Police, Troop F, conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison D. Bushnell and Michael O’Mara are prosecuting the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Mexican national was sentenced Monday to 24 months in prison for reentering the United States without first obtaining permission.

Efrain Mendoza-Guevara, 31, of Veracruz, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of reentry of a removed alien.  According to evidence presented at the November 12, 2015 guilty plea, the defendant was arrested for driving while intoxicated on May 16, 2015, in Bossier City, La.  Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Mendoza-Guevara had been deported in February of 2004 after being convicted of a felony and had not received permission to reenter the United States.

Homeland Security Investigations-Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the Bossier City Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney James G. Cowles Jr. prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Bossier City man was sentenced Monday to 180 months in prison for receiving child pornography.

Christopher J. Leger, 53, of Bossier City, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of receiving child pornography. He was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.  According to the November 18, 2015 guilty plea, federal agents executed a search warrant March 13, 2014 on Leger’s residence. Child pornography had previously been downloaded from a computer at the address. After examining media devices from the residence, agents found 76 images and two videos of child pornography.

“The internet is not a safe haven for those downloading and sharing images of abused children,” Finley stated. “These materials are illegal and perpetuate the extreme abuse of children. This prison sentence shows that abusers will be vigorously prosecuted.”

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423.  Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app. Tips may be submitted anonymously.

Homeland Security Investigations and Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Earl M. Campbell prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a defendant was sentenced Monday to 21 months in prison on one count of re-entry of a removed alien.

Jose Juan Rodriguez-Guarda, 32, of Chiapas, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of re-entry of a removed alien.  According to the October 27, 2015 guilty plea, Rodriguez-Guarda had illegally re-entered the United States multiple times since 2009 after being removed. In June 2012, Rodriguez-Guarda was removed as an aggravated felon from the United States after being convicted of attempted human smuggling in Arizona in 2011.

Rodriguez-Guarda was arrested in Virginia on January 25, 2013, two days after he had kidnapped his girlfriend at knife point in Bossier Parish and took her to Virginia where he already had their 7-year-old daughter. The defendant pleaded guilty to simple kidnapping in Bossier Parish District Court on June 22, 2015.

Homeland Security Investigations-Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the Bossier City Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael O’Mara prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Mexican national was sentenced Monday to 13 months in prison on one count of re-entry of a removed alien.

Saul Abundis Cordova, 39, of Ocampo, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of re-entry of a removed alien. According to evidence presented at the November 17, 2016, guilty plea, Shreveport Police arrested Cordova on January 15, 2015, for driving while intoxicated, and on July 22, 2015, he was convicted of driving while intoxicated for the fourth time. Cordova had been removed from the United States to Mexico on at least three previous occasions in 2008, 2009 and 2014. The removal on June 12, 2014, occurred after Cordova was convicted of felony possession of Schedule II controlled substances, cocaine, which resulted in a sentencing enhancement of a convicted felon.

Homeland Security Investigations-Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael O’Mara prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Shreveport resident was sentenced to 18 months in prison for failing to update his sex offender registration.

Kentrell Dionsal Debose, 27, of Shreveport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of failure to update his sex offender registration. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.  According to the December 2, 2015 guilty plea, Debose was convicted of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile in October of 2009 and registered as a sex offender in Caddo Parish that year.  He moved to Texas in November of 2014. Debose was arrested on August 18, 2015 in Shreveport on a warrant from the Harrison County Texas Sheriff’s Office for violating terms of his sex offender registration. Harrison County Sheriff’s Office personnel found the address in Waskom, Texas, that Debose put on his sex offender registration to be vacant. Investigators also found Debose had been living in Shreveport from at least early July 2015 until his arrest in August 2015 without registering as a sex offender in the state of Louisiana.

The U.S. Marshal’s Service and Harrison County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael O’Mara is prosecuting the case.

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that an Alexandria woman was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for accepting drug proceeds wired in her name and concealing the true owner of the money, convicted drug dealer Marcus Kirk.

Artlisha Morris, 32, of Alexandria, is the last of eight defendants to be sentenced for a conspiracy to distribute kilograms of methamphetamine in central Louisiana.  Morris was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of money laundering. She was also sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine. According to the December 3, 2015 guilty plea, from April 2014 until November 2014, Morris and seven other defendants conspired to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine or aid in that conspiracy in the central Louisiana area. Morris’ role was to assist with money transfers and collect proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine.

The other seven defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The leader of this group, Marcus Wayne Kirk, 35, of Lecompte, La., was sentenced on October 13, 2015 to 190 months while his brother, Jase Kirk Jr., 38, of Baton Rouge, was sentenced to 150 months in prison. Other defendants were sentenced as follows: Demetrius Jacobs, 36, of Glenmora, La., and Taney Ray Taylor Jr., 36, of Alexandria, both sentenced on June 19, 2015 to 108 months and 100 months in prison respectively; Jerome Blue, 35, of Pineville, La., and Gerald Dwayne Sanders, 30, of Longleaf, La., both sentenced on December 17, 2015 to 165 months and 120 months in prison respectively; and Patrick Green, 33, of Pineville, was sentenced on January 22, 2016 to 151 month in prison. The defendants were also sentenced to three years of supervised release except for Jerome Blue, Jase Kirk and Marcus Kirk, who were ordered to serve five years.

The FBI’s Central Louisiana Safe Streets Gang Task Force conducted the investigation. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and FBI Baton Rouge Resident Agency assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison D. Bushnell prosecuted the case. 

LAFAYETTE – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Lafayette man pleaded guilty to stealing approximately $1.5 million from an insurance settlement his sister received while she was incapacitated.

Kevin Ralph Andrus, 37, of Lafayette, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge Patrick Hanna to one count of wire fraud. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell.  According to the guilty plea, Andrus, after being appointed as the curator for his sister’s estate when an automobile accident left her incapacitated and unable to manager her own affairs, stole $1,495,078 of settlement funds his sister received from a lawsuit related to her automobile accident.  After partially recovering from her injuries, Andrus’ sister discovered that settlement funds had been transferred to the defendant’s own personal and business accounts even though he made an oath to spend the money only on approved expenses for the benefit of his sister.

Andrus faces 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date was not set.

The U.S. Secret Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Myers P. Namie and David C. Joseph are prosecuting the case. 

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that seven DeSoto Parish residents were indicted for charges relating to the sale of crack and powder cocaine.

According to the indictment, which was unsealed today, Tyquario Derell Adams, 25; Johnny Leroy Adams Jr., 26; Antonio Tawarn Robertson, 35; Makeith Ladale Robertson, 32; Terrance D. Woods, 41; Ashton Bernard Shelton, 25; and Amanda Marie Garner, 32, all of Mansfield, La., are charged in Count One with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine in the Mansfield area from April 2015 to November of 2015. Counts two to four charge varying defendants with distribution of crack cocaine, and counts five to eight charge varying defendants with distribution of powder cocaine.  Count Nine charges Johhny Adams with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.  See the list below for charging details:

Counts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 T. Adams *             *   J. Adams *       * * * * * A. Robertson * * * * * * * *   M. Robertson * *               Woods * *               Shelton *     *           Garner *   *            

The defendants face various possible penalties depending on the drug quantity involved, their role in the charged offense and their criminal histories.

An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The FBI Northwest Louisiana Violent Crimes Task Force and the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison D. Bushnell is prosecuting the case.

 

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Lafayette Buddhist monk pleaded guilty to wrongfully taking more than $263,000 from his own temple.

Khang Nguyen Le, 36, of Lafayette, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick Hanna to one count of wire fraud. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter. According to the guilty plea, Le was the president, presiding monk and resident of the temple of the Vietnamese Buddhist Association of Southwest Louisiana located on Bourque Road in Lafayette from 2010 to October of 2014. From January of 2013 until August of 2014, Le wrongfully withdrew $263,463.36 in temple funds from the temple’s bank accounts to gamble at a Lake Charles casino.  Le would drive to Lake Charles and withdraw the money from temple bank accounts using automated teller machines and casino tellers. To hide his gambling activity from temple members, Le would misrepresent the temple’s financial situation at meetings and gambled in lower-populated areas of the casino to avoid being seen. Le was at no time authorized by the temple to use its money for gambling purposes.

Le faces 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of June 27, 2016 was set.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys David C. Joseph and Myers P. Namie are prosecuting the case.