Christopher Lorell Roberts, Jr., Tax Evasion and Wire Fraud, Louisiana 2023

NEW ORLEANS - A former Jefferson Parish Councilman has been charged with tax evasion and wire fraud in a 29-count indictment.

CHRISTOPHER LORELL ROBERTS, JR., 41, of Gretna, LA, was charged with wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, and tax evasion, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7201.

According to the indictment, ROBERTS served as a member of the Jefferson Parish Council beginning in January 2004, first as a representative of District 1 and then as a Councilman-at-Large. In addition to receiving a salary of up to $112,000 as a councilman, ROBERTS earned income from a variety of other sources, including his part or full ownership of several business ventures, including CDS Enterprises, L.L.C., Mardi Market, The West Bank Beacon, LLC, fireworks stands, Baskin Robbins ice cream franchises, sno-ball stands, a photography business, and a consulting business.

In about October 2013, after the death of its owner, ROBERTS was hired to serve as the General Manager of Company A, a full-service landscaping and landscape management company headquartered in Terrytown, Louisiana. ROBERTS was responsible for the daily oversight, control, and operation of Company A and had signatory authority for and access to Company A's bank accounts.

Beginning not later than May 2014, ROBERTS began defrauding Company A in a number of ways, including by writing checks made payable to himself or entities whose bank accounts were under his control, including the West Bank Beacon and CDS Enterprises, and using Company A's debit card to pay for goods and services that benefitted him personally.

ROBERTS engaged in a series of deceptive acts to disguise his behavior and to make the fraudulent transactions appear legitimate by various means. For example, ROBERTS wrote and issued checks drawn on Company A's bank accounts that contained false descriptions in the checks' memo lines.

ROBERTS held an approximately twenty-five percent ownership stake in the West Bank Beacon and was responsible for its business operations. ROBERTS also earned income in the form of gambling winnings.

Among the items ROBERTS purchased, in whole or in part, with money he obtained without authorization from Company A and unrelated to his employment with Company A, were a customized shipping container to use as a retail location for the operation of his fireworks business, three remote-controlled vehicles, and a number of other personal items.

The United States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, announced that ROBERTS was charged today in a 29-count indictment.

Mandatory Facts:

1. Defendant/Respondent: CHRISTOPHER LORELL ROBERTS, JR.

2. Exact Criminal Charges: Wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, and tax evasion, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7201.

3. City and State: Gretna, Louisiana

4. Exact Date: Not specified

5. Sentence or Outcome: Not specified

6. Dollar Amounts: ROBERTS earned a salary of up to $112,000 as a councilman, and earned income from a variety of other sources, including his part or full ownership of several business ventures.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edla/pr/former-jefferson-parish-councilman-charged-29-count-indictment-tax-evasion-and-wire