A St. Tammany Parish man has been sentenced to close to four years in prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy that defrauded a political candidate and four other Louisiana residents. Joseph Harold West Jr. was handed down a 46-month sentence by U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe on July 17, for his involvement in a plethora of fraudulent schemes.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson made the announcement, detailing that West, from as early as November 2020 through May 2024, exploited fake campaign services, fraudulent real estate purchases, and a fictitious legal defense scheme to deceive his victims. Following his prison term, West will endure a three-year period of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay up a restitution total of $446,302.23 and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 to his victims.
According to the Department of Justice's press release, West, along with co-conspirators, defrauded the unnamed political candidate referred to as Candidate 1, using fraudulent invoicing for nonexistent campaign services. Victim 1 was deceived out of approximately $236,867 in sham real estate deals, while Victim 2 lost about $83,268.05 to claims of real estate and title work that never materialized. Victims 3 and 4 were bilked out of $112,328.18 through a bogus legal defense plot.
The lengthy investigation into these crimes was spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, with Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson commending their diligent work. The prosecution's efforts were led by Assistant United States Attorney Andre J. Lagarde of the Public Integrity Unit.
