LSU booster sentenced to 33 months after pleading guilty to wire fraud involving families of former players

John Paul Funes was sentenced Thursday after allegedly abusing funds from a local charity

Alleged payments from an LSU booster to family members of Tigers football players have come to light as part of the proceedings for that booster's wire fraud case in Louisiana. 

John Paul Funes, the former president and CEO of Our Lady of the Lake Foundation in Baton Rouge, pleaded guilty to felony wire fraud and money laundering charges and was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison on Thursday. Federal prosecutors alleged that Funes embezzled more than $500,000 from the foundation, which was established to raise money for the Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, by approving payments to "individuals who did little or no work," using funds to pay for charter flights for his family and friends, purchase gift cards for personal use and pay for tickets to sporting events. 

Payments of approximately $180,000 were made to an "Individual C," who ESPN's Mark Schlabach is reporting to be James Alexander, the father of former LSU defensive lineman Vadal Alexander, a starter for the Tigers from 2012-15. The timing of the alleged payments is unknown. 

In June, around the time when Funes entered his guilty plea, former LSU quarterback Rohan Davey confirmed to the Baton Rouge Business Report that his mother and his sister were unidentified recipients -- "Individual A" and "Individual B" in the government's case against Funes -- of checks that total $107,000. 

Davey played at LSU from 1998 to 2001 and was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. The payments to Davey's mother and sister were allegedly after he left LSU, and prosecutors said that "Individual A" and "Individual B" funneled "about $63,000 back to Funes." 

Also, according to tax information, Our Lady of the Lake Foundation made a $15,000 grant to the Tiger Booster Clubs in 2017. 

Funes' alleged misconduct was discovered during an internal audit in August 2018. He was fired in November 2018. LSU has said, in a previously released statement by the school, that it was made aware of specific allegations by foundation officials in late 2018 and "made the information immediately available to the NCAA."

"This is an ongoing inquiry," senior associate athletics director Robert Munson said. "LSU will have no further comment."