Louisiana Army National Guard Soldiers Charged With Conspiracy To Commit Theft Of Government Funds
And Identity Theft

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that today, a federal grand jury indicted PABLO E. PAZ, 45, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, and RAMON E. MADRID, 29, a resident of Kenner, Louisiana, for conspiracy to commit theft of government funds and identity theft.

According to court documents, PAZ was a recruiter for the Louisiana Army National Guard.  In this capacity, he obtained personally identifiable information (PII), such as names, dates of birth and social security numbers, from potential soldiers that came to the recruiting station for the purpose of becoming a soldier.  PAZ  provided the PII of potential soldiers to MADRID without the knowledge or consent of the soldiers, to obtain Guard Recruiter Assistance Program (G-RAP) incentive payments to which they were not entitled.  MADRID received approximately $30,000 in fraudulently obtained recruitment incentive payments, and provided a portion of the funds to PAZ.

If convicted, PAZ and MADRID face a maximum term of five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Polite reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division Command and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service in investigating this matter.   Public Integrity Unit Chief and Assistant United States Attorney Tracey N. Knight is in charge of the prosecution.

(Download Indictment )