Press Releases
METAIRIE MAN RECEIVES 41 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR BANK FRAUD
April 23, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SHAWN WARE, age 35, a resident of Metairie, Louisiana, was sentenced by U. S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle to forty-one (41) months imprisonment for bank fraud, announced U. S Attorney Jim Letten.
According to court documents, on November 28, 2007, SHAWN WARE entered a guilty plea wherein he admitted to devising a scheme to siphon money from the Whitney Bank account of Duplain W. Rhodes Funeral Homes, Inc. Between November, 2004 and February, 2005, WARE befriended an individual and convinced her that he could purchase electronic items from retail stores at a discounted rate through his employer discount program. WARE convinced her to purchase the items using her own credit card. Once the credit card bill came due, WARE would pay her credit card bill electronically via the internet, using his alleged employer account. In fact, the account being used by WARE was the Whitney Bank account of Duplain W. Rhodes Funeral Homes, Inc.
WARE also admitted to hiring an individual to perform electrical work and other manual labor at his residence. In exchange for the work, WARE would pay the individual’s personal bills electronically via the internet, using funds wired from his alleged “family business.” In fact, the account being used by WARE was the same Whitney Bank account of Duplain W. Rhodes Funeral Homes, Inc. WARE did not have the authority to use this account. By executing this scheme, WARE exposed Whitney Bank to a risk of civil liability and financial loss. Whitney Bank reimbursed Rhodes for their loss and WARE was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $109,000 to Whitney Bank.
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the United States Secret Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys, Brian P. Marcelle and Jon Maestri.
