NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Kenneth Lawson, 39, of New Orleans, and Areion Banks, 33, of Slidell, were indicted on August 28 for conspiracy to commit theft and bribery involving a federal grant program.
ORIGINAL STORY: Former OPSO employee arrested; two wanted amid internal fraud investigation
According to the indictment, Lawson worked as Grants Manager in the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (OPSO) Grants Department from August 2022 to November 29, 2024. In that role, he could request grant payments and issue checks to subgrantees under OPSO grants.
Lawson met Banks in March 2024, and the two allegedly devised a scheme in which Lawson diverted checks made out to subgrantees into accounts controlled by him or Banks. Banks then allegedly paid bribes to Lawson, including an approximately $5,900 payment on Aug. 12, 2024, stemming from the unauthorized diversion of about $15,000 from OPSO…