Couillon, er, Courville pleaded guilty in federal court to collecting nearly $325,000 in Social Security disability payments for 17 years - from 1995 to 2012 - even though he wasn't disabled.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Lafayette announced Friday afternoon that 53-year-old Randy P. Courville of Milton is a freeloader. Specifically, Courville pleaded guilty in federal court to collecting nearly $325,000 in Social Security disability payments for 17 years - from 1995 to 2012 - even though he wasn't disabled. Courville admitted to working as a self-employed painter with two businesses he owned: R.T.'s Painting and Affordable Painting, although neither business was ever registered by Courville with the secretary of state's office, a requirement for doing business in Louisiana.
Courville faces up to 10 years in the slammer and a $250,000 fine and will be required to serve three years of supervised probation for pleading guilty to theft of government (read: taxpayer) money. He will be sentenced in June.
U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley says in a press release announcing Courville's plea, "Courville worked at his private business while taking money that was meant for those who cannot work. This case should serve as a warning to anyone who lies in order to receive benefits that we do not take the defrauding of [the Social Security Administration] lightly."