Saint Rose Resident Sentenced for Defrauding the LRH Program
| U.S. Attorney’s Office July 29, 2010 |
RYANT PRICE, age 47, a resident of Saint Rose, was sentenced yesterday in federal court before U. S. District Judge Sarah Vance to three years probation, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten. In addition, PRICE has been ordered to pay $105,000 in restitution to the Louisiana Road Home Program, and $14,858 in restitution to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
According to the court documents, prior to and during the time of Hurricane Katrina, PRICE resided in his primary residence on River Road in Saint Rose, Louisiana. In 2006, PRICE applied for funds from the Louisiana Road Home Program, claiming that a second home he owned, located in New Orleans, Louisiana, was his primary residence at the time of the storm. According to court documents, as a result of his application, PRICE received approximately $105,000 in Louisiana Road Home Program funds to which he was not entitled. In addition to the Louisiana Road Home Program, PRICE also applied for rental assistance from FEMA. PRICE indicated in his FEMA application that his primary residence was located in New Orleans at the time of the storm. As a result of that application, PRICE received $14,858 in rental assistance that he was not entitled to.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Spiro G. Latsis.