By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

NEW ORLEANS – A St. Rose man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to theft of government money after an investigation revealed he fraudulently obtained funds from the Louisiana Road Home Program, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Jim Letten’s Office.

According to court documents Ryant Price, 47, fraudulently obtained about $105,000 from the program to compensate for a home he owns in New Orleans that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The documents indicated Price’s primary address at the time of the storm was listed as St. Rose, and the home in New Orleans was a second home that was unoccupied when Katrina made landfall in 2005.

Price admitted in court Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance he was not entitled to the funds he received from Road Home. The release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Office of the Inspector General and the FBI.

Price faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, three years of probation following release and a fine of $250,000.

His sentencing is scheduled for May 12.