A Shreveport man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a scheme to defraud the Food and Nutrition Service, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Lynn D. Cawthorne, 55, a former Caddo Parish Commissioner, and his sister and co-defendant, Belena C. Turner, 50, were sentenced in United States District Court for committing wire fraud.
Cawthorne was sentenced to 46 months in prison for committing wire fraud and 36 months in prison for committing tax fraud, both to run concurrently. He will serve 3 years of supervised release following his release from prison. In addition, Cawthorne was ordered to pay $58,183.95 in restitution to the IRS.
Turner was sentenced to 46 months in prison for committing wire fraud, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Cawthorne and Turner were ordered to jointly pay restitution in the amount of $837,690.01 to USDA.
The scheme involved Cawthorne and Turner’s non-profit corporation, United Citizens and Neighborhoods, Inc. (UCAN), participating in the Summer Feeding Service Program (SFSP) from 2011 to 2014. During this time, they received $1,015,123.54 in claims paid by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) for the SFSP; however, only $56,351.53 was actually spent on food during the 2011 through 2014 time period. As a result, there was an actual loss of $987,919.72.
Cawthorne pleaded guilty on November 5, 2021, to wire fraud charges in connection with their involvement in the scheme. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of aiding and assisting in making and subscribing a false tax return in connection with a separate indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury against him in December 2019.
Cawthorne and Turner each pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in connection with their involvement in the scheme to defraud the USDA. The scheme involved Cawthorne and Turner’s non-profit corporation, United Citizens and Neighborhoods, Inc. (UCAN), participating in the Summer Feeding Service Program (SFSP) from 2011 to 2014.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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