A former senior investigator for the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans has been sentenced after admitting to a collection of fraud schemes carried out whereas she was tasked with investigating misconduct by different metropolis staff.

Leessa Augustine, 47, of New Orleans, was sentenced Dec. 16 by U.S. District Decide Greg Gerard Guidry to 6 months of dwelling detention, adopted by 5 years of supervised launch, in accordance with federal court docket information. Augustine, who can also be ordered to pay $94,972 in restitution, pleaded responsible earlier this yr to 3 counts of wire fraud and one rely of creating false statements to investigators.

A number of different costs had been dismissed at sentencing, together with one rely of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated id theft.

Federal prosecutors mentioned Augustine exploited a number of public applications whereas working as a senior particular agent for the Sewerage & Water Board and serving as a reserve officer with the New Orleans Police Division. In a single scheme, she billed a police element buyer for hours she didn’t work, prosecutors mentioned.

Throughout a few of those self same hours, investigators mentioned, Augustine used a Sewerage & Water Board–issued pc to hold out a separate mortgage and housing help fraud, creating faux W-2s, pay stubs and financial institution statements to qualify for federally backed loans and grants.

Prosecutors additionally mentioned Augustine improperly collected federally funded unemployment advantages by concealing her metropolis revenue and later obtained emergency rental help from the town utilizing a faux lease and a termination letter from a fictitious employer. Court docket filings present she generally listed her city-issued telephone quantity as a contact for individuals she impersonated.