Personnel with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office fell for an online scheme that cost the agency more than $1.1 million, according to an internal audit made public Monday.
The same review said employees with the parish jail committed fraud totaling more than $210,000. Discovery of their actions ultimately led to their arrest and prosecution.
According to the audit, JPSO received a change request for the agency’s online banking information for its sales tax revenue account. Its accounting department and tax collector bureau executive staff, not realizing the request was a bogus “phishing” scheme, made the change. As a result, wire transfers totaling $1,106,085 were made from the tax receipts fund to a bank account outside the sheriff’s office.
An investigation into the bank fraud continues, and the suspect behind the scheme is unknown, according to the JPSO. As of Dec. 30, the sheriff’s office has recovered almost $293,000 of the money taken.
Separately, a correctional officer at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center allegedly received more than $84,000 in overtime for work he didn’t perform, the internal audit said. Curtis Lamar III, 44, of New Orleans, faces one county of felony theft. He has pleaded not guilty, and his next court date is in May, according to Jefferson Parish court records.
The other alleged scheme revealed in the audit involved a clerk at the jail who is said to have pocketed more than $130,000 from people paying cash to have someone released from the correctional center. Anetra Parker, 50, of New Orleans, was arraigned last week on a felony theft charge. Her plea was not yet posted in online court records.
These findings were included in an internal audit LaPorte CPAs performed for the sheriff’s office covering the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2024. State law requires such audits be forwarded to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, which released the audit report Monday.
The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to the Illuminator’s request for comment, though the audit included brief details on JPSO’s plans to ensure the fraud isn’t repeated in the future.
With regards to online banking access, the department will implement a plan to properly confirm account change information. It will also create a more stringent overtime review process, add another layer of reconciliation for its cash bail receipts and take additional monitoring measures.