Rayne Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud

LAFAYETTE, LA—United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that Deynoodt Joseph Besse, 53, of Rayne, Louisiana, pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. District Court Judge Richard T. Haik to one count of wire fraud.

Besse worked for Rayne tire company Interco’s sales department from August 1, 1997 to August 3, 2010. On January 29, 2003, he created a separate company called INT Sales. According the indictment, Besse used his Interco sales position to divert tire sales to his INT Sales account. He would arrange for the tire sales as an Interco sales associate and then take customers’ account information. Besse would process the account information through a point of sale device, and the transactions were then credited to a bank account associated with INT Sales. The government alleges that Besse fraudulently obtained $143,872.88 using the scheme.

Besse faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, and three years of supervised release for the count of wire fraud. A sentencing date has not been set.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. McCoy and Myers P. Namie are prosecuting the case.