Louisiana Man Indicted for Bomb Threats and Fraud Faces up to 30 Years if Convicted

Louisiana – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Cortez L. Brown, 33, of Haynesville, Louisiana, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on numerous charges, including threatening to unlawfully damage and destroy buildings in Sarepta and Springhill, Louisiana. Brown is charged in the indictment with four counts of wire fraud, two counts of theft of government money, and five counts of making explosive threats.

The President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into law on March 27, 2020, in order to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to establish the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program. The FPUC program was designed to supplement unemployed individuals’ regular unemployment benefits by providing them with an additional $600 per week. The Louisiana Workforce Commission oversaw the FPUC program (LWC).

According to the indictment, on or about May 10, 2020, Brown applied for unemployment benefits to the LWC through its online portal, falsely stating that he was “not working” when, in fact, he was employed and receiving wages from two jobs. Brown’s application was approved, and the LWC issued him a debit card for his unemployment benefits.

According to the indictment, Brown used the debit card, which was funded with unemployment benefits, to buy a cellular phone, which he used to send bomb threats to his employers, a factory in Sarepta and a restaurant in Springhill.

An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Brown faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the wire fraud counts, a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on the theft of government money and explosive threat counts, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count if convicted.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Springhill Police Department are all looking into the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon H. Whitten is prosecuting the case.