St. Mary Parish Sheriff's deputies arrested a Jeanerette man yesterday on a warrant for theft by fraud. Deputies say their investigation into 50-year-old Louie Barnett started when a woman called their office to complain that the check she cashed for her freelance work had not cleared her bank.

Deputies say the victim answered an ad on Craigslist for freelance work from a man claiming to be a movie producer.  She says the man gave her a check in advance for her services, but he asked that she cash the check, which she did.  The woman says she was then told by Barnett to wire him a portion of that money.  She wired him $3,800.

A week later the woman was contacted by her bank, and they told her that there were not sufficient funds in the account to the clear the check.

Investigators began their search for who was responsible for the bounced check, and they determined that Barnett was one of two people who had received the wired money.

Barnett turned himself into deputies at the office in Franklin after he learned there was a warrant out for his arrest.  He was then taken to the parish jail for booking, and his bond has been set at $4,000.

Deputies say this is the second arrest in connection with this case.

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