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Report Fraud, Waste and Abuse
Date Published
February 22, 2016
News Type
Press Release
Link to Original
USAO, Middle District of Louisiana

(Source: USAO, LA) BATON ROUGE, LA - United States Attorney Walt Green announced the convictions of RHODA RENAE ROBERTSON, age 47, and LOUELLA ROBERTSON, age 68, both of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who pled guilty before U.S. District Judges Shelley Dick and John deGravelles, respectively, to theft of government funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641.  RHODA ROBERTSON was convicted on February 16, 2016.  LOUELLA ROBERTSON was convicted on February 18, 2016.

According to the factual basis presented to the Courts in connection with their guilty pleas, LOUELLA ROBERTSON and her daughter RHODA ROBERTSON stole over $38,000 in United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher funds.  The ROBERTSONS submitted documents to the East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority which contained false representations for the purpose of obtaining HUD Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher funds to which they were not entitled.  During their respective re-arraignment hearings, the ROBERTSONS admitted that they fraudulently obtained more than $38,000 in HUD voucher funds between July of 2011 and December of 2014.

Prior to July of 2011, RHODA ROBERTSON engaged in similar conduct and obtained an additional $12,445.25 in HUD Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher funds to which she was not entitled.  In all, these defendants fraudulently obtained approximately $50,996 in HUD Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher funds...