U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that Tonya Denise Brown, age 49, a licensed practical nurse, and of Tangipahoa Parish, pleaded guilty to five felonies on February 12, 2026. Specifically, Brown pleaded guilty to four counts of Wire Fraud, with each count involving a different scheme.
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According to court records, in one scheme, Brown used a nursing job at the Tangipahoa Parish Jail to obtain money with false promises of assistance with state criminal prosecutions.
In the other three schemes, Brown defrauded people by claiming that, in exchange for money, she would help them obtain disaster assistance benefits. As a result, Brown defrauded the HUD-funded Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program, that provided grant funding to homeowners affected by disasters, and defrauded FEMA’s rental assistance program that provided grants to help displaced disaster victims pay their rent.
Finally, Brown pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Oxycodone Hydrochloride pills, a Controlled Substance and admitted that she offered to sell such. She also acknowledged that she lied to the FBI and to a judge regarding this matter.
The possession with intent to distribute count, the wire fraud count for false promises of assistance with state criminal cases, and the wire fraud count for false promises of assistance with disaster benefits and are each punishable by up to 20 years’ imprisonment. The wire fraud counts related to the Restore program and the FEMA rental assistance program are each punishable by up to 30 years’ imprisonment due to enhanced penalties for fraud involving disaster benefits. A fine of up to $250,000 may be imposed for each count except the Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance count, for which a fine of up to $1,000,000 may be imposed. Brown is subject to at least three years of supervised release and is required to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, per count.
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