U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that GERALD URSIN, JR., age 62, of New Orleans and a retired Chief Deputy of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (“OPSO"), was charged in a one-count Bill of Information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to today’s Bill of Information, beginning in 2009 and continuing until January 2014, URSIN and others participated in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The Bill of Information alleges that URSIN, in his role as a Chief Deputy in the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, engaged in a scheme to defraud local entities and events, including Mardi Gras Krewes, music and food festivals, and sporting events, by padding the billing documents with names of individuals who did not in fact provide any security services (“Ghost Employees").
According to the Bill of Information, after the fraudulently inflated invoices were submitted via interstate wires, a portion of the overbilled amount was given to URSIN in the form of checks made payable to URSIN’s family members under the fraudulent guise of payments for detail work that in fact did not take place.
If convicted of conspiring with others to commit wire fraud, URSIN faces statutory penalties of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Polite reiterated that the Bill of Information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter and acknowledged the assistance provided by the Louisiana Legislative Auditors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Toomey is in charge of the prosecution.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
