Former LWC Subcontractor Sentenced to 6 Months for Cares Act Fraud and Theft
Summary
A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana dated Thursday, July 24, 2025, announcing that Jazmin J. Bougere, a resident of Raceland, Louisiana, was sentenced on July 17, 2025, to six months of incarceration followed by six months of home detention. It states that she had pleaded guilty to a one-count bill of information for theft of government funds related to the CARES Act. The release describes the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program administered by the Louisiana Workforce Commission. According to the release, in May 2020 she received and facilitated benefit payments including $144,003 from the Louisiana Workforce Commission, $119,936 from California unemployment and $105,133 from the Colorado Department of Labor. The sentence was imposed by Judge Barry W. Ashe and announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
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Press Release Former LWC Subcontractor Sentenced to 6 Months for Cares Act Fraud and Theft Thursday, July 24, 2025 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana shane.jones@usdoj.gov NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JAZMIN J. BOUGERE , age 38, a resident of Raceland, Louisiana, was sentenced on July 17, 2025 to (6) six months of incarceration with (6) six months of home detention to follow by U.S. District Court Judge Barry W. Ashe after pleading guilty to a one-count bill of information for theft of government funds related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance in connection with economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act created a temporary federal unemployment insurance program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) after a major disaster declaration for this funding. PUA, administered by the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC), provided unemployment insurance benefits for individuals who are not eligible for other types of unemployment benefits (e.g., the self-employed, independent contractors, or gig economy workers). According to court documents, BOUGERE , in May 2020, received and facilitated $144,003 from Louisiana Workforce Commission, $2,100 from Arizona unemployment, $119,936 from California unemployment, $105,133 from Colorado Department of Labor, $2,000 from Kentucky unemployment, $2,484 from Maryland unemployment, $1,872 from Minnesota unemployment, and $7,872 from Texas unemployment in improperly paid Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims during the pandemic. The total losses connected to fraudulent UI claims and other fraud was approximately $275,000. In addition to incarceration and home detention, BOUGERE was sentenced to 3 years of supervised release, along with a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . For more information on the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Department of Labor – Office of the Inspector General, in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera was in charge of the prosecution. Contact Shane M. Jones Public Information Officer United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana United States Department of Justice Updated July 24, 2025 Topics Coronavirus Financial Fraud Component USAO - Louisiana, Eastern Related Content Press Release St. Tammany Parish Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Defraud Former Political Candidate and Four Other Louisiana Residents NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that, on July 17, 2025, JOSEPH HAROLD WEST, JR. (“WEST”) , a resident of St. Tammany Parish, was sentenced... July 24, 2025 Press Release Orleans Parish Resident Charged with Theft of Government Funds NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney, Michael M. Simpson, announced that KAREN DUCKWORTH , age 66, of New Orleans, was charged on July 14, 2025 with theft of government funds. July 18, 2025 Press Release Laplace Woman Sentenced for Making False Statements to Small Business Administration NEW ORLEANS , LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that LATRICIA HOPE HAYNES MOLIERE (“MOLIERE”) , age 51, a resident of LaPlace, Louisiana was sentenced... July 17, 2025
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