Five in Louisiana accused of defrauding relief program formally charged

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Five people accused of defrauding a small business relief program were indicted on felony charges, the Louisiana Treasury reports on Monday.

Officials said a grand jury in East Baton Rouge Parish formally charged Terez Bradley, 38, of St. Tammany Parish; Altea Scott, 45, of Jefferson Parish; Viola Combs, 59, of East Baton Rouge Parish; Geona Garrett, 37, of Tangipahoa Parish and Gelis Garrett, 34, of St. Tammany Parish. All are accused of defrauding the Main Street Recovery Program .

“This was supposed to be a program to help small businesses, not line people’s pockets.
I have zero tolerance for fraud. It is shameful that government lets people get away
with it,” State Treasurer John Schroder said.

A total of over $1 million was recovered, according to the Louisiana Treasury, with $466,000 retrieved and $580,000 resolved.

The program gave millions of dollars to small businesses that lost money during the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding for the relief program came from the CARES Act.

Stay updated with the latest news, weather, and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play store and subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.

Latest Posts

• After conservative revolt, GOP aims to try again on rule vote
• Monroe PD: 2 dead, 1 injured after Jackson Street shooting
• Father loses second child in 2 months after son drowns in Tennessee
• CEO Chris Licht to leave CNN
• Protesters brawl as California school district decides to recognize Pride Month

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO.