EDGARD — A LaPlace woman was sentenced to a decade in jail this week, the result of tens of thousands of dollars in fraud perpetrated through her restaurant, according to the St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney’s Office.

Judge J. Sterling Snowdy sentenced Shawanda Nevers-Hawkins Monday to ten years in prison and ordered a restitution hearing for the victims following Nevers’ guilty plea to seven counts of issuing worthless checks.

During the summer of 2013, Nevers issued over $40,000 in worthless checks in connection with her restaurant, 3LJ’s Café, defrauding multiple businesses, a release from D.A. Bridget A. Dinvaut said.

The sentencing was the latest blemish for Nevers, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in September, the result of a conviction for stealing $20,000 from an older St. John the Baptist Parish resident.

A federal grand jury charged Nevers in May with dozens of criminal counts related to a suspected fraud operation that created false tax returns for clients claiming a variety of fraudulent losses and deductions related to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Federal authorities said Nevers worked as Shawanda Hawkins and Shawanda Bryant while operating a tax return preparation business under several names and at various locations in greater LaPlace.

According to the indictment, between 2011 and 2016, Nevers filed 37 false tax returns for clients that claimed a variety of fraudulent losses and deductions, including false Schedule C businesses and false unreimbursed employee expenses.