Former Jeanerette mayor arrested — again — on conspiracy, fraud charges
Published 11:53 am Tuesday, September 21, 2021
- Aprill Foulcard
Former Jeanerette Mayor Aprill Foulcard was arrested Tuesday morning on multiple conspiracy, bank fraud and federal benefit fraud charges.
Members of the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation made the arrest based on a warrant from the Louisiana Department of Justice. Foulcard is charges with criminal conspiracy, three counts of illegal transmission of monetary funds, one count of government benefit fraud and three counts of bank fraud.
The Louisiana Bureau of Investigation is the investigative arm of the state’s Department of Justice, both of which operate under the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office.
According to Iberia Parish Clerk of Court David Ditch, Foulcard is scheduled for her first court appearance on the charges Wednesday morning.
Foulcard was arrested on charges of theft between $5,000 and $25,000 and bank fraud in June after she allegedly went to a financial institution and requested nearly $10,000 in U.S. currency to be transferred to her bank account. The individual’s account had not authorized to do so, according to the statement.
The latest arrest also comes more than a year after Foulcard was arrested for malfeasance in office as a result of her tenure as Jeanerette mayor including charges of failing to complete Jeanerette’s mandatory annual audit for three consecutive years, failing to remit witness payment fees to off-duty law enforcement agents within 30 days of violation, failing to pay federal payroll taxes and file timely quarterly reports, failing to pay state payroll taxes and file timely quarterly reports and finally failing to fulfill her personal obligation as an elected official not to misappropriate, misapply, convert, misuse or otherwise wrongfully take funds or property of the city of Jeanerette.
The charges related to Medicaid fraud, racketeering, money laundering, conspiracy to commit forgery and maintaining false public records for the Jeanerette-based company.
The indictment came after an audit from the Louisiana Legislative Audit that cited multiple violations that JABA has been in violation of for several years. Some of the violations include a failure to conduct mandatory supervisory visits, inadequate documentation to support billing, incomplete service logs and a failure to complete mandatory sanction checks.
Foulcard was booked into the Iberia Parish Jail shortly after 10 a.m. Less than two hours later she was released after 16th Judicial District Court Judge Keith Comeaux set her bond at $60,000.
