Featured Fraud: Crescent City Criminals

Nine years after he took part in an arson scheme, Damian Landry has been sentenced to six years in prison for his part in a fiery fraud plot.

The 43-year-old New Orleans, La. resident pled guilty in the case, admitting to coordinating with two other defendants to burn down his home in order to profit off of the insurance proceeds on Feb. 25, 2011. David Samuels and Charles Moss, both of whom still have yet to be sentenced, set fire to Landry's house in December 2002. A short time after, Landry filed a claim for both the loss of his house and property, hoping to solve his own financial difficulties by collecting from the insurance company. 

Unfortunately for the troublesome trio, the insurance payout was not as high as they had expected, so Landry refused to pay Samuels. This selfish act in “Saint City” is even more heinous considering that Landry had worked with Samuels at the Volunteers of America, a national nonprofit organization that provides community outreach and assistance to those in need. Apparently the “Paris of the South” isn't quite so full of love. 

Though he wasn't very cooperative with Samuels, Landry was with authorities, and agreed to plead guilty and assist prosecutors early in the court proceedings. He will serve six years in prison, and pay more than $91,000 in restitution to the insurance company. The court also sentenced Landry to three years of probation following his time in prison. 

As for the other two criminals, they probably won't be seeing another Mardi Gras parade anytime soon. Landry's co-defendants, Samuels and Moss, have not yet been sentenced, but they face some hefty charges. Samuels, who was convicted on 15 counts, faces a possible sentence of up to 260 years in prison, while Moss, who was convicted on two counts, faces 35 years of jail time.