Felicia Young, 58, of Lafayette, and Leisa Fuselier, 59, a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago and lawful permanent resident of the United States, were indicted by a federal grand jury on July 15 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, according to an announcement on Nov. 21. Young was also charged with obstruction of justice. Both defendants face up to 20 years in prison.
United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller said, “Protecting the public from financial predators is a top priority for this Office. These defendants allegedly exploited trust, manipulated victims, and abused financial systems for personal gain. We will continue to relentlessly pursue those who defraud and harm hard-working members of our community.”
Court documents allege that Young orchestrated the scheme beginning in March 2020 using several companies she owned: ALA Floral 2, Kreole Ala 2, Johnston Street Drive-Thru, and F&B Rentals. After gaining her victims’ trust through legitimate business dealings with these companies, Young began soliciting loans from them.
Young allegedly told her victims that her bank accounts were frozen and requested additional deposits so she could repay them. To maintain the deception, she initiated three-way calls between herself, the victims, and Fuselier—who falsely posed as a representative from Young’s financial institution—confirming that Young’s accounts were frozen due to outstanding debt. The indictment states that both instructed victims they could only access funds if they deposited specific amounts by certain deadlines.
The scheme resulted in at least $1.5 million being paid to Young through CashApp, Venmo, checks, and cash withdrawals involving interstate wire transmissions. Prosecutors allege that Young used these funds for personal enrichment as well as payments to Fuselier for participation in the scheme.
The indictment further alleges that on December 30 last year, Young obstructed justice by destroying or concealing records intended for use in an official proceeding.
Keller made the announcement regarding the charges brought forward by his office for the Western District of Louisiana. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case; Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren L. Nickel is prosecuting it with assistance from Legal Assistant Christy Angelle.
Authorities remind readers that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.