Following a guilty plea earlier this year, Louisiana Swamp Tours, LLC, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion to pay a fine and undergo probation for making false statements to the United States Coast Guard. The Marrero-based company, as stated in a Department of Justice release, is facing a $53,200 fine in addition to a one-year probationary period and a mandatory $400 special assessment fee.
The charges stemmed from a 2022 incident wherein Louisiana Swamp Tours, LLC, claimed to the Coast Guard that repairs had been made to the hull of a watercraft vessel damaged in a storm. However, it was later revealed that, the company had actually built a new hull without submitting the required plans for Coast Guard approval. The investigation of the case was carried out by the Coast Guard alongside the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crimes Unit prosecuted the case. The court's ruling aims to hold the company accountable for contravening Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001(a)(2), which governs false statements.
