SABINE PARISH, La. — Wiley Howell, 58, of Clearwater, Florida, has been extradited to Sabine Parish and booked into Sabine Parish Jail in connection with a major financial fraud targeting local schools, authorities said.
According to the Sabine Parish School Board (SPSB), Howell is accused of stealing $251,972 through a sophisticated Business Email Compromise (BEC) phishing attack in November 2024. The funds were fraudulently transferred via ACH payment to an unauthorized account. At the time, SPSB believed the money was intended for weapons detection systems for schools in the parish.
SPSB immediately notified the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations (LBI), which launched an investigation. Once Howell was identified as the recipient, he was arrested on December 23, 2025, and extradited to Sabine Parish, where he was booked on January 10.
Howell now faces multiple felony charges related to the theft of public funds.
The Sabine Parish School Board expressed gratitude to the LBI for their professional work, noting that the district has implemented additional financial safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future.
