Jessica Lacour, age 38, currently residing in Texas and formerly of the Eastern District of Louisiana, was charged on March 30 with participating in five separate fraud schemes, according to an April 1 announcement by U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
The charges allege that Lacour engaged in various fraudulent activities during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. These include using a fake tax return to obtain a forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loan and misusing other people’s identities to secure emergency rental assistance—both programs created as pandemic relief measures.
According to the bill of information, Lacour also created hundreds of fake Walmart receipts from at least ten stores totaling over $228,000. The receipts were allegedly used by an accomplice to steal merchandise for resale. Another count alleges that Lacour helped generate false evidence for a lawsuit filed in Orleans Parish Civil District Court. The fifth count claims she misused people’s identities to open utility and financial accounts, including taking photos of a hotel guest’s identification documents while working at a French Quarter hotel and sending them to an accomplice.
Each wire fraud charge carries penalties of up to twenty years in prison, up to three years supervised release following imprisonment, fines up to $250,000 per count, and a special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle said: “the bill of information is merely a charge and that the defendant’s guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation; Assistant U.S. Attorney Chandra Menon is leading the prosecution.
The Department of Justice has provided additional resources regarding its response to pandemic-related crimes on its website at https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Reports about attempted COVID-19 fraud can be made through the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or online complaint form.
