SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - A north Louisiana woman has been sentenced to four years in prison in connection with a scheme to fraudulently collect hundreds of thousands of dollars from a community college, a federal prosecutor said Friday.
A news release from Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook said Audrey Williams, 57, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty in September. She was sentenced Thursday, according to court records that show the scheme began in 2013 and continued to 2019.
Prosecutors said Williams recruited students and former students of Bossier Parish Community College to file for fraudulent refunds from the school.
Williams’ co-defendant and sister, Carol Bates, had been the comptroller at the college and arranged for the refunds to be paid to the students, who would share large portions of the money with Bates and Williams.
Bates, also of Shreveport, was sentenced last month to five years.
Williams and Bates also were ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $286,987 each.
A third defendant, Marquise Perry, 36, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty in December. Van Hook’s release says he was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $49,524.65 in restitution.
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