A New Orleans-based contractor who admitted to over-billing a Road Home subsidiary $236,000 was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to two-and-a-half years in prison.

Praveen Kailas, a prominent and politically connected contractor, admitted to overbilling the state's Small Rental Property Program, a subset of Road Home designed to aid property owners in rebuilding their units after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Kailas said he approved and submitted fraudulent invoices in 2011 and 2012, which included hours billed but not worked by six employees of Kailas's firm, Lago Construction. During those hours, the employees in question were working on other construction projects for various companies owned by the Kailas family...