SABINE PARISH, La. — A Florida man was arrested for allegedly defrauding the Sabine Parish School Board of more than $250,000 in a sophisticated Business Email Compromise scheme.
Investigators say Wiley M. Howell, 59, orchestrated the scam in November 2024, convincing a school board employee to send an ACH payment to an out-of-state bank he controlled. The employee believed the funds were going to a legitimate vendor supplying metal detectors for local schools.
Authorities traced the stolen money through multiple bank and cryptocurrency accounts, which Howell reportedly depleted almost immediately. Some of the funds were allegedly transferred to unknown accomplices overseas.
A warrant issued by the 11th Judicial District Court in Sabine Parish charges Howell with:
Two counts of theft by fraud over $25,000
Six counts of illegal transmission of monetary funds
Two counts of money laundering
Howell was arrested in Pinellas County, Florida, on December 23, 2025, and extradited to Louisiana on January 10, 2026, where he was booked into the Sabine Parish Jail.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill praised investigators, saying, “Funds meant to protect students were stolen through an alleged fraud scheme, and that will not be tolerated. We will continue to hold those who target Louisiana’s schools and taxpayers fully accountable.”
