FORMER LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT WIRE FRAUD

Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that Romney Manuel, age 51, of Prairieville, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Manuel's conviction is punishable by a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, and a period of supervised release.

According to admissions made during his plea, beginning on or about April 2020 and continuing to at least March 29, 2021, Manuel conspired with another to devise a scheme to obtain federal funds in the form of LaCAP grant money from the Louisiana Department of Education. During the course of said conspiracy, Manuel and his co-conspirator made a non-existent childcare provider appear operational and manipulated spreadsheets and data systems utilized by the Louisiana Department of Education in order to steal $74,250 in federal funds.

LaCAP grant money is a benefit authorized, transmitted, disbursed, and paid in connection with a Presidentially Declared Major Disaster or Emergency (as those terms are defined in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)).

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Louisiana State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy S. Johnson.

Anyone with information about allegations of pandemic fraud can report it by calling the Justice Department's National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.