New Orleans Man, Jordan A. Sanchez, Pleads Guilty To Mail Fraud In Fraudulent Oil Spill Claim

JORDAN A. SANCHEZ, age 27, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty yesterday in federal court before U. S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, to a one-count indictment charging him with mail fraud, announced U. S. Attorney Dana J. Boente.  

According to court documents, SANCHEZ submitted a fraudulent claim to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility claiming that he lost his job with a local catering company in New Orleans as a result of the oil spill.  In support of his claim, SANCHEZ submitted a fraudulent letter from the catering company stating that he was terminated because the oil spill affected their business to the point where they could no longer keep him on the payroll.  Shortly after submitting the claim form, the Gulf Coast Claims Facility mailed a check for $27,000 to SANCHEZ.  After the payment was issued, an investigator with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility contacted the owner of the catering company to discuss SANCHEZ’S work history.  The owner stated that she never operated her business in New Orleans and that SANCHEZ never worked for her.  On September 28, 2012, an agent with the FBI interviewed SANCHEZ about the matter.  SANCHEZ admitted that the claim he filed with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility was fraudulent. 

SANCHEZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release following imprisonment.  Sentencing is scheduled for October 17, 2013, at 10:00am. 

This case was brought as part of this District’s partnership with the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF), a nationwide initiative to protect available funds and assistance for those victims of both natural and man-made disasters such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and the recent Gulf oil spill.  If you have knowledge of fraud, waste, abuse, or allegations of mismanagement involving disaster relief operations, you can contact the NCDF by either calling the hotline at (866) 720-5721, faxing (225) 334-4707, emailing at disaster@leo.gov or in writing to National Center for Disaster Fraud, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4909.

The case was investigated by special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Spiro Latsis.

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