Agents with Attorney General Liz Murrill's Louisiana Bureau of Investigation arrested a woman from Chalmette for embezzling almost $6,000 from an apartment complex.

The Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (LBI) received a request for assistance from Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) regarding allegations of fraud

Agents learned that LWC had received suspicious money orders from a claimant, Nakisah Whitaker, of Veronica Drive in Chalmette, who had received Unemployment Insurance (UI) overpayment. During the repayment process, LWC staff noticed that money orders submitted by the claimant appeared to be altered.

Shortly after LBI agents began investigation, they discovered the money orders had originated from occupants of a New Orleans apartment complex where Whitaker had been previously employed as a manager. Further investigation disclosed that Whitaker had been terminated for misuse of the company’s credit card. Whitaker made over $900 in unauthorized purchases on the company’s credit card.

During this investigation, agents learned while Whitaker was employed as a manager of a New Orleans apartment complex, she stole and altered tenants’ money orders, falsified internal records, and submitted those fraudulent money orders to LWC as payments for her personal debt. As a result of this scheme, Whitaker also redirected rental payments made by tenants and embezzled approximately $5,964 from the apartment complex.

Based on the evidence obtained during this investigation, LBI agents secured an arrest warrant through the Orleans Parish District Court on charges pertaining to forgery, bank fraud, computer fraud, felony theft, and identity theft.

On Tuesday, February 23rd, Whitaker was arrested in New Orleans and booked at the Orleans Parish Jail for charges of:

• L.R.S. Forgery
• L.R.S. 14:71.1 Bank Fraud
• L.R.S. 14:73.5 Computer Fraud
• L.R.S. 14:67 Theft over $5,000
• L.R.S. 14:67.16 Identity Theft

Her bond amount is unknown.

The investigation is ongoing.

*All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.