Two from N.O. plead guilty in Katrina grant program probe

Two women from New Orleans who worked as analysts on Louisiana’s home elevation grant program pleaded guilty today to plotting to sell the names of residents eligible for Hurricane Katrina grants. Wanda Acker Williams, 32, and Brianna LaFrance, 30, both face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and $250,000 fines following their guilty pleas to conspiracy charges. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo is scheduled to sentence them on May 24. A court filing says Williams was paid to supply the names of people eligible for grants from the state’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to Rickey Davis, who helped secure contracts with homeowners for general contractors and subcontractors. Homeowners living in flood-prone areas can receive grants of up to $100,000 to elevate their homes. Contractors and homeowners can be advanced up to 80% of a grant’s total value before any elevation work is performed. Williams was hired by Baton Rouge-based The Shaw Group Inc., a state contractor, to work on the program. A company spokeswoman has said Williams was suspended without pay after she was charged in the case in January. LaFrance worked for a Shaw subcontractor before she left to work for Davis.