A small-town Louisiana mayor has attributed her arrest for an alleged $75,000 fraud scheme to the 'devil,' asserting that the accusations are an attempt to sabotage her re-election campaign. Winnsboro Mayor Alice Wallace, 50, is accused of fraudulently receiving Medicaid benefits since 2021, according to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill.
Wallace, who assumed office in 2022, allegedly failed to report a change in household income to the state health department, as per the attorney general's office. She also reportedly omitted her marital status and intentionally misrepresented the availability of employer-provided health insurance. Investigators claim that her mayoral salary would have disqualified her from Medicaid eligibility, yet she and her daughter allegedly continued to utilize benefit programs through 2026.
Wallace was arrested by Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agents in Baton Rouge on Tuesday and faces six counts of government benefits fraud. She was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison but appears to have been released on bond, according to jail records.
The first woman elected to lead Winnsboro has seemingly denied the allegations, suggesting they are a ploy by the 'devil' to discredit her bid for re-election. In a Facebook post, she wrote, 'The devil is trying to embarrass and discredit leadership to possess power again through those who know zero, that way they can run it!! This way you won't trust someone who can be trusted. Just look who's backing them! It's election time what else you got! I'm still standing!!'
Wallace claimed she has been insured by Blue Cross since 2021 and that her daughter's father provided insurance for their child. She questioned why she would 'bill Medicaid' for healthcare expenses if both were already covered, urging, 'Talk to the doctors! I do believe that I will be vindicated but just know that if you dug one ditch better dig two more bcuz for the ones they're trying to get in office, the whistle has been blown! I work for a living, I didn't PPP my way! It's a reason why we've registered 200 and they've registered none, they were waiting on this!'
Despite the charges, Wallace expressed confidence in her re-election, stating the allegations have 'just energized Team Wallace.' Attorney General Murrill, however, emphasized, 'It doesn't matter who you are – if you defraud the hardworking taxpayers of Louisiana, you're going to jail.'
Winnsboro, located about 40 miles outside Monroe, is a rural agricultural town with a population of 4,862, according to census data. Wallace became mayor in 2022 after defeating incumbent Democrat John C. Dumas by just 12 votes. She had vowed to reduce crime by creating jobs and bring more recreational areas to the town. She is running for re-election on May 16.
