Two-time James Beard Award-semifinalist, chef and restaurateur Melissa Araujo was arrested in Baton Rouge on Wednesday on a count of government benefits fraud, according to court records.
She was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Wednesday and is currently free on bond, jail records show.
Acting on a tip, Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agents reviewed Araujo’s bank records and found she was earning over six figures while receiving Medicaid benefits, which are intended for low-income recipients, according to Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill. A warrant obtained by WAFB states she purchased three properties worth a combined $785,000 and received 1,266 deposits totaling $3.1 million from 13 businesses linked to her…