NEW ORLEANS -- The brother of a former member of the Orleans Parish Sewerage & Water Board has been sentenced to four years in jail for his role in taking kickbacks for nearly 11 years from companies who worked with the board.
Bruce Edwards pleaded guilty last month on wire fraud and tax evasion charges.
Documents show that Bruce Edwards routed nearly $1.6 million to an account his brother, Benjamin Edwards, used to buy personal items, such as expensive cars. The money came from a scheme concocted by Benjamin Edwards to defraud businesses performing work for the S&WB.
Among the offenses listed in court documents, Benjamin Edwards admitted asking companies to make "scholarship donations" to a church despite knowing the money wouldn't go to the students. Judge Lance Africk sentenced Benjamin Edwards to 20 years in prison and ordered him to pay back $3.6 million in restitution.
"Today's sentencing represents the latest chapter in the longstanding commitment of the Department of Justice and IRS Criminal Investigation to ensure that those entrusted to serve the public do so without reaping unlawful gain," said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. De Palma.
