Former St. Tammany Paralegal Guilty of Embezzling $1.8 Million & Tax Fraud

NEW ORLEANS - BOBBIE ELLIS a/k/a "BOBBIE GREEN" ("ELLIS"), age 63, currently a resident of Fairhope, Alabama pleaded guilty on July 28, 2026, to wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343 and tax evasion in violation of Title 26, United States Code, 7201, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court documents, from 2010 to 2018 ELLIS worked for a small law firm in Mandeville, Louisiana. ELLIS performed duties of an office manager, bookkeeper, and paralegal. In those roles, ELLIS had access to the law firm's financial records, bank accounts, notary stamp, and other legal documents. From at least 2012 to 2018, ELLIS, without authorization, accessed bank accounts controlled by the law firm and forged her employer's signature on numerous checks stealing over $1.8 million. ELLIS used the fraudulently obtained proceeds to purchase a home in Georgia and another home in Florida. ELLIS also fraudulently used a credit card linked to her employer. ELLIS charged over $945,000 in unauthorized purchases, including expenses related to vacations, hotel stays, retail store purchases, restaurants, and purchases for her children and pets. To conceal her fraud, ELLIS used funds from bank accounts controlled by the law firm to pay for her fraudulent credit card charges. In total, ELLIS embezzled $1,861,575.75 from bank accounts controlled by her employer. From 2013 through 2017, ELLIS attempted to evade the income tax due to the IRS based on her legitimate and illegal income. ELLIS willfully failed to report to the IRS the money she stole and the money she earned while working at the law firm. ELLIS owes the IRS a total of $657,707 for evading her taxes from 2013 through 2017.

For wire fraud, ELLIS faces a maximum penalty of twenty years' imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 mandatory special assessment fee. For tax evasion, ELLIS faces a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 mandatory special assessment fee. ELLIS also will be ordered to pay restitution.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiwana Wright of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

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