Baton Rouge businessman Jason Christopher Devillier, 45, is headed to federal prison for orchestrating a calculated bank fraud scheme that bled $474,410.74 from Whitney Bank through falsified electronic transactions. Devillier admitted to manipulating the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network to siphon money from ABC123, L.L.C.—a payment processing company he owned that handled school tuition and fees—into his personal and affiliated accounts.
U.S. District Chief Judge Brian A. Jackson handed down a 33-month sentence in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In addition, Devillier was ordered to pay full restitution of $474,410.74, forfeit assets in the same amount, and pay a $25,000 fine. The penalties reflect the severity of a fraud that exploited trust, technology, and the financial infrastructure meant to serve Louisiana families and schools.
ABC123, L.L.C. was set up to streamline payments from parents to private and parochial schools in Baton Rouge, collecting electronic funds for tuition, cafeteria charges, and other fees. As the operator, Devillier had access to sensitive banking details, including routing and account numbers for the schools. Instead of safeguarding that trust, he weaponized it—creating fake ACH credits to inflate the company’s account balance, then draining real funds via fraudulent debits.
From November 2012 to July 2013, Devillier executed a series of illicit ACH batch transfers, ranging from $30 to $50,000 per transaction. Each fraudulent credit falsely claimed to be an authorized withdrawal from a school’s account, masking the fact that no real funds existed. That sleight of hand allowed him to transfer money out before Whitney Bank could detect and reverse the phony entries—costing the institution substantial losses.
“Mr. Devillier was sentenced to a significant sentence for his criminal conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Walt Green. “In lining his own pockets, Mr. Devillier violated the trust of not only Whitney Bank, but also the trust of the schools, students, and families his business was supposed to serve.” Green also praised the FBI and prosecutors for their work, and thanked the bank and schools for their cooperation.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey S. Sallet emphasized the complexity of the case: “I would like to recognize the outstanding work done by the assigned FBI Special Agent and Assistant U.S. Attorney in unraveling this complex bank fraud scheme.” The investigation was led by the FBI’s Baton Rouge Resident Office, with prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cam T. Le. The case stands as a stark reminder of how financial trust can be exploited—and how federal agencies are cracking down on those who do.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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