nola reports a 61-year old Louisiana woman has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for defrauding modular home buyers out of some $200,000 in a post-Katrina scam. Cecilia Slattery filed articles of incorporation in 2008 for JCV, dba New Era Homes, and befriended ten people by buying them dinners and attending church with them. One victim gave her $138,250 for permits, licenses, surveying, and foundation work. Another one gave her $50,000 and received only a fresh pile of dirt on her property instead of the modular home she was promised. Slattery could have avoided a prison term altogether as the result of a plea deal had she appeared in court in August and repaid the victims, but she skipped court two consecutive days. She disappeared instead, was arrested in Florida, and extradited back to New Orleans. In court, denying she intentionally ripped people off, District Court Judge Robin Pittman called her “a menace to this community and a menace to this society. I don’t know how you want me to believe your actions are not intentional.” One time business associate Nikki Peterson, who blew the whistle on her, said to Slattery from the witness stand, “You owe me money. You have seniors, people on disability, married couples. It’s just so much hurt you have caused. And I just wanted to let you know you look good in orange.”
