On February 3, 2025, Brian Paul Desormeaux, a 64-year-old Lafayette resident, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for his role leading a yearslong conspiracy to defraud a federal nutrition assistance program operated by the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”).
His co-conspirator daughters, Amy Desormeaux Hernandez, a 38-year-old Lafayette resident, and Lenzi Desormeaux Babineaux, a 35-year-old Lafayette resident, were each sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison after their convictions for wire fraud as well, with Babineaux sentenced in November 2024 and Hernandez sentenced on the same day as her father.
According to court documents, Desormeaux was the executive director of Regional Nutrition Assistance, Inc., a non-profit sponsoring organization for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, a federal program operated by the USDA and administered by the Louisiana Department of Education.
“The Desormeauxs’ shameful scheme stole food out of the mouths of Louisiana’s children to satisfy their own greed, and they’re now heading to federal prison as a result,” said United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “Protecting Louisiana’s children from financial and other abuses is one of our Office’s core missions, and this case shows our commitment, alongside our federal and state partners, to investigate and prosecute these crimes to the fullest extent of the law.”