Ex-State Dept. employee sentenced for embezzling $150k in travel funds for SOUTHCOM events
A former State Department employee was sentenced to more than a year’s imprisonment Dec. 1 for his role in defrauding the department and the Defense Department of $150,000 through his role managing travel allowances for members of Southern Command, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina showed.
Roudy Pierre-Louis, 49, a Haitian citizen, was working at the Embassy of Haiti as the sole budget analyst from 2015 to August 2018 when he carried out a fraud scheme to receive cash advances for travel expenses like per diem, lodging and air fare, according to court documents.
According to court documents, Pierre-Louis worked for the embassy’s Security Coordination Office, and was responsible for managing all lines of accounting for State and Defense Department individuals travelling for SOUTHCOM and other regional events.
As Pierre-Louis was also the SCO’s designated Money Holder, he was authorized to receive cash on behalf of individuals who were not granted the full access to the embassy needed in order to receive the cash advances allowed for travel expenses.
SAUCE: https://www.navytimes.com/news/2021/12/03/ex-state-dept-employee-sentenced-for-embezzling-150k-in-travel-funds-for-southcom-events/