Marrero Woman Sentenced to Probation for Misprision of a Felony

NEW ORLEANS – ROSE B. DEMERS, age 68, of Marrero, La., was sentenced on February 22, 2024 by U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Barbier to 18 months of probation after previously pleading guilty to misprision of a felony related to funds received from a fraud victim, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court records, DEMERS received $8,600 from an out of state fraud victim on or about July 9, 2021. Rather than contact the authorities, DEMERS converted some of the funds to her own use and attempted to wire the funds to a person posing as an Internal Revenue Agent. DEMERS acted as a middleman for a fraudster who directed financial fraud victims to send DEMERS money, which she would then convert to MoneyGrams, etc., and forward to the fraudster.

In addition to the sentence, DEMERS was sentenced to pay restitution in the amount of $200 and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission at  www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 1-877-FTC-HELP.  The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office of Victims of Crime at www.ovc.gov.  Additional elder justice resources, training, and outreach materials can be found at the Elder Justice Website at www.elderjustice.gov.

If you need assistance or to report elder abuse, please contact your local adult protective services agency through the Eldercare Locator or by call the helpline at 1-800-677-1116 Monday – Friday 9am - 8pm EST. To report elder fraud, please visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center or contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–FRAUD–11 or 833–372–8311 Monday – Friday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm EST.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Secret Service and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, Economic Crimes Section, in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.