Ex-State Auditor Sentenced For Theft

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A former auditing director for the state Department of Children and Family Services has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after admitting to stealing more than $150,000 from the department.

U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick on Wednesday sentenced 34-year-old Delrice Augustus, of Baton Rouge, to 37 months in prison and ordered him to pay $155,000 in restitution to DCFS and forfeit $150,000 to the federal government.

The Advocate reports Augustus admitted stealing from the agency since 2010 by using an assistant's state-issued credit card to buy personal items and also misused a state-issued travel card to buy hotel suites in New Orleans for Mardi Gras and the NBA All-Star Game.

Augustus was auditing director for DCFS since mid-2009. He resigned May 23.