A federal grand jury indicted Tanzanika Ruffin, age 48, for wire fraud on March 13 in New Orleans, according to U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
The indictment alleges that Ruffin defrauded her client’s family out of approximately $250,000 by making false statements about the need to compensate a New Orleans Police Department officer for fictitious injuries and harms. Ruffin also allegedly told the family that she had arranged a “Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement” with the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office and the police officer, which required them to keep settlement discussions confidential. The indictment states that no such agreement existed and that Ruffin spent all of the money on personal and unauthorized expenses without giving any funds to the officer.
If convicted, Ruffin faces up to twenty years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle said, “an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in this case. He also said that he and Assistant United States Attorney Maria M. Carboni from the Public Integrity Unit are leading the prosecution.
