Mississippi Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Louisiana Road Home Program
U.S. Attorney’s Office January 14, 2010 |
WAYNE L. MANNING, age 55, a resident of Carriere, Mississippi, pled guilty in federal court today before U. S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier to one count of making false statements to a federal agency relating to a fraudulent application he made to the Louisiana Road Home Program, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to court documents, the Louisiana Road Home Program made disaster assistance money of up to $150,000 available to those whose primary residence was destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. MANNING admitted today he applied for and received a Road Home grant of $64,959.48 for damages to commercial property located at 11130 Old Gentilly Road, New Orleans, LA, which he owned when Hurricane Katrina struck. MANNING fraudulently represented that he was a resident of the property at the time of the storm, when in fact, he was a resident of Carriere, Mississippi.
MANNING faces a possible maximum sentence of five (5) years’ imprisonment, a $250,0000 fine, restitution to the Louisiana Road Home Program, and three (3) years of supervised release. Sentencing has been scheduled for April 8, 2010.
The case was investigated by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter M. Thomson.