Former Jeanerette mayor April Foulcard convicted of malfeasance in office, theft, bank fraud

JEANERETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Former mayor of Jeanerette April Foulcard has pled no contest to one count of Malfeasance in Office, guilty to one count of Bank Fraud, and guilty to one count of theft over $5,000 but less than $25,000, according to 16th Judicial District Attorney Bo Duhe.

The charges she is convicted of stem from three separate incidents, listed below.

Malfeasance in Office: Foulcard was the mayor of Jeanerette from 2013 until 2019. In 2019, the Legislative Auditor released a report indicating that Foulcard had failed to complete mandatory audits for the City of Jeanerette. The Louisiana State Police opened an investigation.

As a result of that investigation, it was discovered that, in addition to failing to ensure that the mandatory audits were completed, Foulcard failed to remit federal payroll taxes and file quarterly reports in a timely fashion. The unremitted federal taxes totaled over $125,000 from 2016 through 2018.

Further, Foulcard failed to remit state payroll taxes and file quarterly reports timely. The unremitted state payroll taxes totaled over $70,000. Foulcard also failed to remit payment of witness fees to off-duty law enforcement officers as required by statute and failed to increase garbage rates when the contractor’s rate increased.

Bank fraud: From September of 2019 to March of 2021, Foulcard and a co-conspirator committed multiple fraudulent online banking transactions at several banks. Foulcard would then withdraw the funds from those transactions before the banks discovered that the transfers were fraudulent.

Additionally, Foulcard received unemployment benefits from individuals whose identities had been stolen or in the name of fictitious persons. She defrauded unemployment benefit programs in four different states: Arizona, Colorado, Ohio, and Louisiana. Those illicit benefits were paid into Foulcard’s accounts and Foulcard withdrew those funds on various occasions.

Theft Over $5000 But Less than $25,000: In June of 2021, Foulcard and a co-conspirator contacted the victim’s bank. Foulcard and the co-conspirator impersonated the victim in order to have $9,000 transferred from the victim’s bank account into Foulcard’s account. Foulcard was arrested when she withdrew the stolen funds.

Sentencing is set before the Honorable Suzanne de Mahy on June 14, 2022.

Foulcard’s sentencing exposure is up to five years at hard labor and a fine of up to $5,000 on her conviction for malfeasance in office; up to ten years with or without hard labor and a fine of up to $10,000 for her conviction for theft over $5,000 but less than $25,000; and up to ten years with or without hard labor and a fine of up to $100,000 for her bank fraud conviction.