Orleans Parish sheriff’s office employee arrested, accused in fraud scheme

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A woman who worked at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office on Monday was arrested and fired for her alleged role in a scheme to defraud the agency of more than $90,000, the sheriff’s office said.

Labrina Carey Lackey, 57, faces felony charges of theft over $25,000, monetary instrument abuse, obstruction of justice, injuring public records, filing false public records, public contract fraud and malfeasance in office, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. It was unknown if she has an attorney who could speak on her behalf.

Lackey was fired following her arrest. She had been employed with the sheriff’s office since Dec. 29, 2014.

The charges stem from an investigation into a scheme allegedly devised by Lackey to misappropriate funds from the sheriff office’s Inmate Trust Fund. Detectives discovered the scheme involved falsifying journal entries and issuing unauthorized check disbursements from former inmate accounts to hide cash discrepancies from deposits made at the bond window, the sheriff’s office said.

“These actions are reprehensible and do not reflect the values of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office,” Sheriff Susan Hutson said. “The public places its trust in us, and it is our duty to uphold that trust by taking decisive action against anyone who undermines our mission.”

The sheriff’s office said it is using commercial crime insurance to ensure that any former inmate whose accounts were affected by the alleged activities are reimbursed.