New Orleans man sentenced for Cares Act fraud and money laundering

Date: March 5, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

NEW ORLEANS - Irvin C. Francois III ("Francois") of New Orleans was sentenced by United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey, after previously pleading guilty to making false statements, and money laundering related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

On March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed into law the CARES Act, which provided emergency assistance, administered by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), to small business owners affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. One of the primary sources of funding for small businesses was the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

According to court records, on or about March 24, 2021, Francois, on behalf of a business that he owned, made false statements to an approved lender to obtain approximately $144,790 for a PPP loan. Francois then committed money laundering by using these ill-gotten funds to buy an automobile from a dealership in Kenner, Louisiana.

In addition to three years of probation, Francois was sentenced to 50 hours of community service and ordered to pay $153,171.95 in restitution to the Small Business Administration and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count.

This case was investigated by an agent assigned to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. The PRAC was established to serve the American public by promoting transparency and facilitating coordinated oversight of the federal government's COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC's 21 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending. The PRAC Fraud Task Force brings together agents from 15 Inspectors General to investigate fraud involving a variety of programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program. Task force agents who are detailed to the PRAC receive expanded authority to investigate pandemic fraud as well as tools and training to support their investigations.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General (a member of the PRAC) in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit was in charge of the prosecution.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.