Richard Hebert Jr., 57, of Harvey, Louisiana, was sentenced to 84 months in prison for making false statements to a bank as part of a fraudulent scheme to obtain funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana announced today. Additionally, Hebert was ordered to pay restitution of $2,450,639.93 to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Between April and July 2020, Hebert submitted at least 12 fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of seven companies to five different banks, seeking over $4.2 million. Hebert falsely represented the operations of his businesses in these applications, creating fake tax documents and other fabricated materials, including using real personal identifiable information of others to support his claims.
The fraudulent actions resulted in a loss exceeding $2.4 million. Authorities were able to seize a significant portion of the proceeds from Hebert’s scheme, including a residence in New Orleans and three vehicles: a 2013 Rolls Royce Ghost, a Lexus ES 350, and a Ford F-250.
U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe emphasized the severity of Hebert’s actions, stating, “This strong sentence is a testament to the significant crime that this former law enforcement officer committed. Hebert was trained to serve and protect, but instead, he took advantage of a government safety net program to line his own pockets during the worst pandemic in over a century.”
Gathe further noted that prosecuting pandemic-related fraud remains a priority for their office and that they will continue using every available resource to investigate and hold accountable those who exploit such programs.
