Louisiana twin brothers found guilty in money laundering scheme sentenced

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The district attorney was left “stunned” by the Friday sentencing of twin Louisiana brothers convicted of money laundering.

Robert McCormick and Thomas McCormick, both 55, were found guilty of multiple charges in December 2024, including money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit filing of false public documents, conspiracy to commit prohibited splitting of profits, conspiracy to commit malfeasance in office and conspiracy to commit felony theft.

A district judge ordered both to pay $214,262 in restitution to the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office, pay $5,000 each to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office (LLA), pay fines and court costs and serve three years probation. The district attorney’s office said the state requested nearly $850,000 in restitution, and LLA requested almost $98,000.

“Although we respect the court and this judge, we are stunned by the sentence. This was a case of serious breach of public office and laundering public money. We wanted jail time. My office is reviewing the sentence to determine if there are any grounds to appeal the sentence. At least they will be convicted felons for the rest of their lives,” District Attorney Tony Clayton said.

According to court documents, the brothers reportedly created fake companies to funnel $824,760 in state dollars to themselves for personal use. Thirty-two invoices were paid over the course of eight months — from Aug. 30, 2020, to April 28, 2021. An audit of the State Fire Marshal’s Office revealed misuse of funds.

Five other individuals were also connected to the money-laundering scheme, which took place as the state was dealing with the aftermath of several hurricanes.

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