Louisiana Bookkeeper Sentenced to Prison and Ordered to Pay $374K+ in Restitution for Wire Fraud

Alexandria, Louisiana - A former accountant and financial director at architecture firm Barron, Heinberg, and Brocato in Alexandria, Louisiana, has been sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay $374,331.30 in compensation for wire fraud.

United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown stated on Friday, December 16, 2022, that Deonne Drawdy, 50, of Pollock, Louisiana, was sentenced today by United States District Judge David C. Joseph to 24 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for wire fraud. Drawdy was additionally forced to pay $374,331.30 in compensation.

According to testimony given in court, Drawdy was working as the accountant and financial director of the architecture firm Barron, Heinberg, and Brocato (BH&B) in Alexandria, Louisiana from about 2007 until 2020. The employee's responsibilities included issuing checks to vendors.

In 2020, BH&B discovered questionable activity in the company's accounts, prompting an audit. Agents of the United States Secret Service participated in the inquiry. Their research indicated that on or about January 7, 2019, Drawdy wrote a check payable to Meyer, Meyer, Lacroix, and Hixson from the firm's bank account. On January 10, 2019, Drawdy illegally endorsed the check, placed it into her own bank account, and transferred the cash to her own use.

The United States Secret Service investigated and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian C. Flanagan prosecuted the case.