Shreveport Police Department Officer Indicted by Federal Grand Jury for Wire Fraud

SHREVEPORT, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that a Shreveport Police Department (SPD) officer has been indicted by a federal grand jury. The indictment, which was returned today, charges James Cisco, 51, of Shreveport, with six counts of wire fraud.

The indictment alleges that beginning on or about January 6, 2020, and continuing through on or about at least January 19, 2021, Cisco knowingly devised a scheme to defraud the City of Shreveport out of funds which were designated for overtime pay to SPD officers. It is alleged that Cisco claimed overtime for which he had not worked and received payments for unworked overtime.

It is alleged in the indictment that Cisco submitted falsified reports to the SPD stating he worked overtime hours for the SPD on the Community-Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) Grant and certified that he had worked the hours. It is further alleged in the indictment that on three of the dates Cisco submitted falsified reports, the SPD mobile device assigned to him was in the East Texas area during the same period he claimed to be working overtime in Shreveport for the SPD. The indictment also alleges that on five other occasions, Cisco submitted falsified reports claiming to have worked overtime, and records show that he was working at an off-duty job for another company at the same time. 

The Innovations in Community-Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) Program is administered by the Department of Justice and seeks to reduce crime and improve community safety in distressed, high-crime neighborhoods. As part of the program, CBCR awards grants to local and tribal communities to be used for overtime for police officers. The City of Shreveport received a CBCR award grant which was used in 2020 to pay for officers with the SPD to work overtime details and provided officers with 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for overtime hours worked.

An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, Cisco faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. 

This is an ongoing investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice-Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg.

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