Lynn D. Cawthorne, Wire Fraud, Louisiana 2021

SHREVEPORT, La. - Lynn D. Cawthorne, 54, a Caddo Parish Commissioner, and his sister Belena C. Turner, 50, both of Shreveport, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the Food and Nutrition Service, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Cawthorne and Turner each appeared in United States District Court on November 8, 2021, and pleaded guilty to the charges. The scheme involved a false claim for reimbursement under the Summer Feeding Service Program (SFSP), which was established to provide nutritious meals to children in low-income areas during the summer.

According to the indictment, Cawthorne and Turner caused United Citizens and Neighborhoods, Inc. (UCAN) to apply to participate in the SFSP at various feeding sites in the Western District of Louisiana. They represented to the Louisiana Department of Education that Harvest Catering, a company controlled by Cawthorne, would provide catering services to UCAN at its SFSP sites.

The defendants submitted a false claim for reimbursement, resulting in a wire transfer of $33,080.78 to UCAN's bank account on May 20, 2013. They used a portion of the funds for personal use and not for the SFSP. The government and the defendants agreed that the loss amount caused by the fraud scheme would be determined at sentencing.

Cawthorne also pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in making and subscribing a false tax return. The indictment alleged that Cawthorne hired a tax return preparer to file a false tax return for him in 2019.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. If convicted, Cawthorne and Turner face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the wire fraud charge. Cawthorne also faces up to 3 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the tax fraud charge.

Cawthorne and Turner are currently free on bond. Their sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

The case was investigated by the USDA-Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdla/pr/caddo-parish-commissioner-and-sister-plead-guilty-federal-charges-just-days-trial-set