Saturday - April 27, 2024
Federal Tipoffs Involving Louisiana Newsletter for Sunday February 11, 2024 ( 19 items )  

307th Logistics Readiness Squadron Excels in Operation Gator Bite Exercise
BARKSDALE AFB, Louisiana, Feb. 8 -- The U.S. Air Force Reserve Command issued the following news: By Staff Sgt. Tambri Cason, 307th Bomb Wing Public Affairs The 307th Logistics Readiness Squadron put their training to the test here, during Operation Gator Bite Feb. 3. Thirty-two Airmen from six flights throughout the 307th LRS showcased their ability to execute and respond to mission essential tasks during a simulated wartime environment exercise. Under normal circumstances, these six flig  more

Affordable Home Furnishings to Pay $105,000 to Settle EEOC Race Discrimination Lawsuit
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Feb. 9 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release on Feb. 8, 2024: * * * Federal Agency Charges That Furniture Retailer Subjected African American Manager to a Hostile Work Environment and Fired Him When He Complained * * * Affordable Rent-to-Own, LLC, doing business as Affordable Home Furnishings, a furniture retailer and lessor based in Louisiana, has agreed to pay a former employee $105,000 to settle a race discrimination lawsu  more

Agricultural Marketing Service: USDA Partners With Louisiana to Award Over $4.6 Million to Strengthen Food Supply Chain Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2024: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has a cooperative agreement with Louisiana under the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI). Through this agreement, USDA and Louisiana are working together to offer over $4.6 million in competitive grant funding for projects designed to build   more

BLS - Southwest Region Issues Report Entitled 'Women's Earnings in Louisiana - 2022'
DALLAS, Texas, Feb. 5 (TNSrep) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 5, 2024, entitled "Women's Earnings in Louisiana - 2022": * * * In 2022, Louisiana women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $822, or 77.3 percent of the $1,064 median usual weekly earnings of their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commiss  more

Department of Labor Fines Michigan Popeyes Franchise $48K; Restaurant Allowed Children to Work Hours That Violate Child Labor Laws
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division issued the following news brief on Feb. 6, 2024: * * * * Employer: Michigan Multi-King Inc., doing business as Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, 4897 Rochester Road, Troy, MI 48085 * Investigation findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found teens working at a Troy Popeyes franchise in violation of hours allowed by the Fair Labor Standards Act's child labor standards. The investig  more

EPA Announces Settlement With Mosaic Fertilizer for Alleged Chemical Accident Prevention Violations at St. James, Louisiana, Facility
DALLAS, Texas, Feb. 7 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently finalized a settlement with Mosaic Fertilizer and Tampa Port Services over alleged violations of the chemical accident prevention provisions of the Clean Air Act at Mosaic's facility in St. James, Louisiana. Under the settlement, the companies will pay more than $217,000 in civil penalties, install two ammonia gas monitors and donate equipment t  more

Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas: 2024 Affordable Housing Advisory Council Appointments
DALLAS, Texas, Feb. 2 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following member bulletin (No. 2024-04): The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (Bank) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members and the reappointment of two members to its Affordable Housing Advisory Council (Advisory Council). Kelly Davila and Carla Mancha are new appointees to the Advisory Council; Calvin King Sr. of Arkansas and Nicole Barnes of Loui  more

Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas: Gulf Coast Housing Partnership Awarded Nearly $4M in Affordable Housing Program Funds
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Feb. 2 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release: * * * Funds Will Help Complete Seven Projects in Louisiana and Mississippi * * * The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) awarded $3.98 million through members Home Bank, Fifth District Savings Bank, Red River Bank and Trustmark to Gulf Coast Housing Partnership (GCHP). The Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grants will supp  more

La. U.S. Attorney: Developer Sentenced for Conspiring With First NBC Bank President to Defraud First NBC Bank
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Feb. 9 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana issued the following news release: On February 5, 2024, United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion sentenced WARREN G. TREME ("TREME"), age 59, a resident of Metairie, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. TREME previously pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy for his role in the scheme that led to the downfall of First NBC Bank, the New Orleans-based bank that failed in April 20  more

La. U.S. Attorney: Former Attorney Sentenced for Defrauding Personal Protective Equipment Purchaser
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Feb. 10 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana issued the following news release: FRANK LABRUZZO was sentenced on February 6, 2024, for conspiring with co-defendant, Cynthia Caronna, and a United Kingdom resident, for defrauding a business that sought to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry sentenced LABRUZZO to five years' p  more

La. U.S. Attorney: Jefferson Parish Man Charged With Trafficking Methamphetamine
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Feb. 6 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana issued the following news release: COREY ESQUERRE, age 50, a resident of Jefferson Parish, was indicted on February 2, 2024, for possessing with intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec.Sec. 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. If convicted, ESQUERRE faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, u  more

La. U.S. Attorney: New Orleans Man Indicted for Federal Drug and Machinegun Offenses
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Feb. 10 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana issued the following news release: United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that RENARD SANTIAGO, age 18, of New Orleans, was indicted on February 8, 2024, for violations of the Federal Gun Control Act and Federal Controlled Substances Act. SANTIAGO is charged in Count 1 of the indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of T  more

La. U.S. Attorney: New York Resident Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Feb. 6 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana issued the following news release: PEDRO SARANTE, age 42, a resident of Bronx, New York, was sentenced on February 1, 2024 by United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to ninety-six (96) months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quan  more

La. U.S. Attorney: Plaquemines Parish Man Pleads Guilty to Violations of the Federal Controlled Substances and Federal Gun Control Acts
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Feb. 6 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana issued the following news release: JORDAN MEAUX, age 33, of Buras, Louisiana, pled guilty on February 1, 2024 to one (1) count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B), and 846, and one (1) count of being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of  more

La. U.S. Attorney: Vermillion Parish Man Sentenced to 192 Months in Federal Prison for Distribution of Methamphetamine
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, Feb. 9 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana issued the following news release: United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Jeremy Melancon, 47, of Kaplan, Louisiana, to 192 months in federal prison following his conviction for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The Court further sentenced Melancon to serve five years of supervised release following his term   more

Paramount Healthcare Consultants to Pay $50,000 in EEOC Sex Discrimination and Retaliation Lawsuit
DALLAS, Texas, Feb. 10 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release on Feb. 9, 2024: * * * Settles Federal Charges El Paso Care Center Retaliated Against Housekeeping Aide for Reporting Abuse * * * Paramount Healthcare Consultants, LLC, which operates nursing care facilities across Texas and Louisiana, will pay $50,000 to settle a sex discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency  more

Reserve Marine Awarded Fire Department Medal of Honor
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Feb. 8 -- The U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve issued the following news release: By Sgt. Ethan LeBlanc, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Sgt. Bobby Philips, motor vehicle operator with Deployment Processing Command - Reserve Support Unit East, Force Headquarters Group, was awarded the Columbia-Richland Fire Department Medal of Honor here, Jan. 19, 2024. According to the fire department Medal of Honor award citation, Philips' courageous action  more

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri: Testing Laboratory Co-Owner Admits $3.8 Million in Fraudulent Billing
ST. LOUIS, Missouri, Feb. 10 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri issued the following news release on Feb. 9, 2024: A former St. Louis County health care company owner on Friday admitted submitting more than $3.8 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid and private health care benefit programs. Carlos Himpler, 44, now of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a felony conspiracy charge. Himpler, who at the t  more

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $3.3 Million to Support Business and Green Industry Growth in Louisiana
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration issued the following news release on Feb. 6, 2024: Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is investing $3.3 million in the state of Louisiana to support business and green industry growth. The EDA investments announced today are: * The Chennault International Airport Authority in Lake Charles will receive a $2.5 million EDA g  more