Wanda Acker Williams, age 33, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced to six
moths of home detention followed by four years of probation by U.S. District
Judge Jane Triche Milazzo after admitting she accepted bribes in connection with
her employment in the state’s home elevation program, announced U.S. Attorney
Jim Letten. Williams pled guilty in January to a one-count bill of information
charging her with conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving
federal funds.
According to court documents, Williams was a mitigation analyst in the New
Orleans Office of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program who used her position as a
mitigation analyst to mine the database of homeowners eligible for federal
elevation dollars and then provided those names to Rickey Davis in exchange for
money. Davis, who pled guilty to bribery on May 16, was in the business of
securing contracts with homeowners for general contractors and sub-contractors
in exchange for a percentage of the total contract amount. Upon receiving the
lists of names from Williams, Davis would either sell the lists to general
contractors for them to secure contracts or would use the names as leads to
solicit those homeowners to enter a contract with a contractor with whom Davis
did business.
Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on August 22, 2012 by U.S. District Court
Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle. Brianna LaFrance, a former mitigation analyst who also
pled guilty to conspiracy charges in connection with the bribery of Williams is
scheduled to be sentenced on June 14 by U.S. District Judge Jane Triche
Milazzo.
The case is being investigated by Department of Homeland Security-OIG,
Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The
case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Emily K.
Greenfield and Matthew Coman.
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