Cody Francis, a former Army reservist, was sentenced in federal court in Louisiana on Feb. 13, 2025, for his involvement in a scheme that prosecutors say defrauded the Army out of more than $100,000. (Joshua Magbanu/U.S. Air Force)
A former reserve soldier who took part in a scheme that authorities say defrauded the Army out of more than $100,000 will pay restitution and do community service, a federal judge in Louisiana decided.
Cody Francis, 34, of New Orleans, was one of seven defendants charged in 2021 with lying about performing military funeral honors at ceremonies that never took place.
Chief Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown of the U.S. District Court in New Orleans ordered Francis to repay nearly $11,400, according to a Justice Department statement Saturday. That was the amount he admitted accepting for nonexistent ceremonies.
Francis also was sentenced to 100 hours of community service, the statement said, adding that the sentence was handed down on Feb. 13.
He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of government funds.
Between 2013 and 2016, Francis and six co-conspirators submitted fraudulent payment requests for fake funeral honors, according to court documents. At the time, he was a corporal stationed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans.
Fellow Army reservist Christopher O’Connor, a former staff sergeant and pay technician, submitted $101,858.19 in false claims on behalf of himself, Francis and the others, the DOJ said in an October 2023 statement.
O’Connor had proposed submitting these false requests in the names of the others in exchange for a share of their proceeds. On top of receiving a portion of those payments, O’Connor also submitted and received nearly $19,000 in fraudulent claims for himself, the Justice Department said.
O’Connor is scheduled to be sentenced April 10. Four other defendants in the case pleaded guilty in 2023.
Leroy Daniels Jr., a former specialist in the Army Reserve stationed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, was sentenced in April to 2½ years of probation and 100 hours of community service and ordered to pay restitution of nearly $11,700.
Derrick Branch, who served at the base as a sergeant in the Army Reserve, obtained over $15,000 in the scheme and was sentenced in January 2024 to two years’ probation, repayment of his share and 50 hours of community service.
Chantelle Davis, a former specialist, and Lynea Sanders, a former staff sergeant, were sentenced in June 2023. Davis’ cut of the proceeds totaled about $8,400, and Sanders received approximately $21,800, according to court records.
The seventh defendant, former Army reservist Terrance Howard, pleaded not guilty to all counts and is set to go on trial in June. He is accused of stealing more than $13,500 from the Army, according to court documents.
Under federal law, eligible active-duty soldiers, retirees and veterans may receive military funeral honors at a family’s request.
These honors, which include the folding and presentation of the American flag and the playing of taps, are intended to pay tribute to those who have served the country.
