Former Captain in Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office Admits to Defrauding the Sheriff’s Office And Other Businesses

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announces that KEVIN STIMAGE, age 44, plead guilty on May 27, 2021 to a Bill of Information charging him with Theft from Programs Receiving Federal Funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666(a)(1)(A).  STIMAGE faces up to ten years imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory special assessment of $100. Sentencing is set for September 21, 2021.

According to the Factual Basis, STIMAGE was a Captain with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO).  An investigation by the FBI revealed that in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, STIMAGE reported having worked, on average, 40 hours per week at TPSO, approximately 40 hours per week at Off-Duty Detail A, and, beginning in 2018, approximately 30 hours per week at Off-Duty Detail B, for a total of approximately 110 hours per week.  However, location data and surveillance revealed that STIMAGE was only working a portion of the claimed hours, and was defrauding TPSO, Off-Duty Detail A, and Off-Duty Detail B by not working all of the claimed hours.

As a result of this scheme, the defendant defrauded Off-Duty Detail A out of wages worth $158,275 in 2018 through 2021, Off-Duty Detail B out of wages worth over $54,215 in 2018 through 2021, and TPSO out of wages worth $28,596 in 2019 and 2020.

U. S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on this matter. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Myles Ranier and Chandra Menon.

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