A St. Tammany Parish resident, Joseph Harold West Jr., has entered a guilty plea for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The plea was made on December 5, 2024, before United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe, according to U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
Court documents reveal that from November 2020 to May 2024, West and others engaged in fraudulent activities targeting several individuals in Louisiana. They defrauded a former political candidate with fake campaign services and extracted approximately $236,867 from Victim 1 through fictitious real estate transactions and related costs. Additionally, they swindled Victim 2 out of around $83,268.05 with false claims regarding real estate and title work. Victims 3 and 4 were deceived out of about $112,328.18 via a bogus legal defense scheme.
The conspirators employed various deceptive tactics including fake aliases, burner phone numbers for communication, and counterfeit invoices to carry out their frauds.
West could face up to five years in prison along with three years of supervised release. He is also subject to a fine up to $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain or loss involved in the crime and must pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. Restitution amounting to approximately $446,302.23 will be paid by West to his victims.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation into this case while Assistant United States Attorney Andre J. Lagarde from the Public Integrity Unit is handling its prosecution.