BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — Ila Marcela Jacobs, 49, has been arrested and charged with Government Benefits Fraud for allegedly collecting over $269,000 in retirement benefits intended for her deceased mother, a Louisiana teacher.
Authorities say Jacobs fraudulently received benefits from the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL) from December 2011 to April 2024, despite her mother, Loretta Jacobs, passing away in December 2011.
Jacobs was arrested in Pensacola, Florida, on July 28 and later extradited to Louisiana, where she was booked at East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.
The investigation began after TRSL alerted the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, who found that benefits continued to be deposited under Loretta Jacobs’ name. Investigators traced the fraudulent withdrawals back to Ila Jacobs.
Attorney General Liz Murrill commented, “The Attorney General’s Office is on a roll with these Government Benefits Fraud arrests – protecting the money of the hard-working taxpayers of this State.”
As of now, Jacobs’ bond amount has not been released. The investigation remains ongoing.
