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Retired Colonel Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud in Louisiana
A retired colonel in the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal officials announced today.
ROY AUSTIN, 69, of St. Tammany Parish, pleaded guilty to the charge in a U.S. District Court in New Orleans.
According to court documents, AUSTIN admitted to arranging for security details through a private company, Austin Sales and Service, for local entities and events, including Mardi Gras Krewes, music and food festivals, and sporting events.
AUSTIN engaged in a scheme to defraud those local entities and events by padding the billing documents with names of individuals who did not in fact provide any security services, known as ‘Ghost Employees.’
Additionally, AUSTIN admitted to keeping a portion of the overbilled amount in the Austin Sales and Service corporate bank account for his own personal use.
AUSTIN also drafted checks made payable to other Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office employee’s family members under the fraudulent guise of payments for detail work that in fact did not take place.
AUSTIN faces statutory penalties of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt set sentencing for August 3, 2016.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter and acknowledged the assistance provided by the Louisiana Legislative Auditors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Toomey is in charge of the prosecution.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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