BATON ROUGE, LA – A Prairieville man has pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to defraud a Louisiana childcare grant program created with pandemic relief funds, prosecutors announced.

Romney Manuel, 51, admitted before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He faces up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and supervised release when sentenced.

According to court filings, between April 2020 and March 2021, Manuel and a co-conspirator fabricated a childcare provider that did not exist and falsified records to make it appear operational. Prosecutors said the pair manipulated spreadsheets and state data systems used by the Louisiana Department of Education in order to steal $74,250 in federal LaCAP grant funds.

The LaCAP program w

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