Corey Roshel Powell, Scheme to Defraud USDA’s Summer Food Service Program, Louisiana 2024

Delhi Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Scheme to Defraud the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program

Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Corey Roshel Powell, age 43, of Delhi, Louisiana, to 29 months in federal prison following his conviction for a scheme to defraud the USDA’s summer food service program. The Court further sentenced Powell to serve three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment.

According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, Powell owned and operated The NELLA Foundation (NELLA), a non-profit organization domiciled in Darrow, Louisiana, which served as a sponsor for the SFSP. Over the course of the summers of 2014 and 2015, Powell and his co-defendant, Janie Johnson Smith, inflated the number of meals NELLA purportedly served to low-income children and submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement based on the inflated numbers. Powell and Smith also falsified program documents to support the false claims for reimbursement.

Once the funds were transmitted to NELLA, Powell and Smith used SFSP funds for their own personal expenses such as car and rent payments, or withdrew the funds as cash. Additionally, Powell and Smith ordered food for NELLA’s purported operations through lines of credit obtained with food distribution companies, and once reimbursed for these expenses by the Louisiana Department of Education, the two defaulted on the lines of credit and instead converted the funds for their own personal use and financial gain. Over a two-year period, NELLA submitted and received approximately $265,000 in SFSP funds.

The USDA’s Summer Food Service Program is a federally-funded child nutrition program that is administered by the Louisiana Department of Education. The SFSP is designed to ensure that children in low-income areas continue to receive nutritious meals during the summer when school is not in session.

Acting U.S. Attorney Travis stated, “The conviction and sentence of Mr. Powell reaffirms our commitment to protect government programs intended for those who truly need assistance. I want to thank our prosecutor, the FBI, and the Louisiana Office of Inspector General for their work on this case.”

Defendant: Corey Roshel Powell, Age: 43, City: Delhi, State: Louisiana, Charges: Scheme to defraud the USDA’s summer food service program, Sentence: 29 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release, Date: Not specified, Amount: $265,000

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