New Orleans man admits spending $84,000 in federal money on items like cruise expenses

Cruise expenses, satellite radio and luxury vehicle repairs were among items a chief financial officer of a New Orleans nonprofit illegally paid for with federal funds, the man admitted in court Wednesday.

Rickey Roberson, who with his family operated the nonprofit Alternatives Living Inc., pleaded guilty to one count of theft of federal grant funds. He admitted in federal court that he owes more than $84,000 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Among the expenses listed in a court document that Roberson spent federal money on were "cellphone charges for his son, repairs to his personal vehicles (Audi TT and Cadillac Escalade), tuition expenses for his son, Hornets/Pelicans season tickets, Saints season tickets, show tickets, cruise incidentals, medical bills for his daughter and his pet dog, as well as XM radio."

Roberson, a 49-year-old New Orleans resident, specifically pleaded guilty to using $4,663 from Community Development Block Grant Funds to pay for his daughter's cellphone bill, court records said.

Read more: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2017/09/alternatives_living_rickey_rob.html