A former NOPD officer and former Jefferson Parish sheriff’s deputy were each sentenced to less than a year in federal prison Wednesday for their roles in a scheme to defraud an insurance company. Kevin Guillot, 43, a former New Orleans police sergeant, received an 11-month sentence from U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance, and former deputy Daniel Spears, 40, was sentenced to six months in prison.
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Guillot’s nephew, Anthony Venezia, was sentenced to one year of probation. The scheme involved Guillot filing a false claim with Progressive Insurance, saying his truck had been stolen from a Jefferson Parish boat launch while he was fishing with his nephew. In reality, Guillot was at home when he reported the truck stolen, and the vehicle was in his driveway. The former officer concocted the scheme to avoid having to pay for repairs to the Ford F-250, according to the federal investigation.
Spears filed a phony police report that substantiated Guillot’s claim. Another NOPD officer, Salvadore Battaglia, who reported to Guillot, wrote a false report saying the truck had been recovered by police. Battaglia committed suicide in February, shortly after news of the federal investigation broke.
