80-Year-Old Louisiana Accountant Pleads Guilty to Misappropriating Funds from a Band She Worked for

New Orleans, Louisiana – On Thursday, February 2, 2023, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Alice C. “Shannon” Chabaud, age 80, of New Orleans, Louisiana pled guilty on February 1, 2023, to access device fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1029(a)(2) and (c)(1)(A)(i), in relation to her theft from her former accounting client, a New Orleans-based band named as “Band A.”

Chabaud illegally accessed Band A’s bank accounts after being fired as the band’s accountant in 2015, according to documents filed in federal court. She stole $207,607.95 from Band A without the knowledge or permission of the band members from the time she was fired in September 2015 until May 2020.

Under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571, Chabaud faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, a $250,000.00 fine, or the greater of twice the defendant’s gross gain or twice the defendant’s gross loss to any person, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office for its work in investigating this case. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew R. Payne.

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