Slidell Man Pleads Guilty to $192K Wire Fraud Scheme
A 48-year-old Slidell man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with his application for financial assistance in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Ronald Backes, a shrimping business owner, admitted to falsely representing his income to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) in August and September 2010.
According to court documents, Backes claimed to earn $156,000 annually from his shrimping business and also falsely stated that another individual earned $36,000 annually as his employee.
To support these claims, Backes created and submitted false receipts of shrimp sales to the GCCF, resulting in the issuance of checks totaling $192,000.
Backes faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle set sentencing for August 19, 2015.
The case was brought as part of this District’s partnership with the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF), a nationwide initiative to protect available funds and assistance for those victims of both natural and man-made disasters.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chandra Menon is in charge of this prosecution.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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