OMV worker charged with fees theft

On Tuesday, Louisiana State Police Detectives assigned to the Hammond Field Office arrested 46-year-old Gezelle Y. Buchanan of Pine Grove for felony theft and malfeasance in office. Buchanan was an employee of the Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) in Hammond.
While employed with the OMV, part of Buchanan’s job duties included clearing insurance flags from customers’ records. In order to do so she was required to collect monetary fees from customers and document those fees paid in the appropriate OMV databases. An audit conducted by OMV found that during a nearly two-year period she collected fees from customers but allegedly did not remit the money to OMV.
Investigators determined Buchanan manipulated the OMV computer databases to show payments were made, but she allegedly kept the money for herself. It was determined she kept over $15,000.
An arrest warrant was obtained through the 21st Judicial District Court charging Buchanan with felony theft and malfeasance in office. Buchanan was placed under arrest and booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Prison on the above listed charges.