A Jefferson Parish resident has found themselves at the center of a federal indictment for a scheme defrauding government aid programs, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Jelissa LaCour, 36, faces charges including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, actions that were purportedly aimed at pilfering funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
Allegations state that LaCour manipulated the system by using falsified tax documents to harvest multiple PPP loans, and she applied for ERAP funds under the guise of non-existing renters; some applications were for her cohort of accomplices while others exploited identities of the unsuspecting to funnel payments to her benefit. LaCour could be looking at a maximum of 20 years behind bars for each wire fraud count in addition to fines reaching $250,000—and that's not to mention the possible two-year stretch for each identity theft count as well as supervised release post-imprisonment.
However, it's essential to keep the scales balanced with the understanding that an indictment is not equivalent to a conviction, and as Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson points out, "the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt," a statement gleaned from the U.S. Attorney's Office announcement. The case finds its grounding in an investigation spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and lands on the desk of Assistant United States Attorney Chandra Menon of the Public Integrity Unit for prosecution.
