Attorney General Liz Murrill's Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (LBI) received a request for assistance from Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) regarding allegations of fraud.

LDH officials received notification that an employee of Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Hospital, Lafayette, had allegedly submitted a forged letter in an attempt to help secure funds from a federal grant program, administered by LDH, known as the H.E.R.O. Fund. The Health Care Employment Reinvestment Opportunity (H.E.R.O.) Fund is a grant program established by the Louisiana Department of Health to support healthcare training and education programs.

During this investigation, LBI agents learned that 48-year-old Rachel Willis, of Trewhill Pkwy in Lafayette, while employed as a Patient Access Representative at Our Lady of Lourdes (OLOL) in Lafayette, a member hospital of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOLHS), knowingly created and transmitted a forged letter purporting to be from the Chief Executive Officer of FMOLHS.

The letter committed OLOL to provide $250,010.40 in matching funds in support of a HERO grant application, submitted to LDH, on behalf of OLOL and a local Technical College in Lafayette. Agents learned Willis had accessed the CEO’s signature from her FMOLHS email account, copied it, and pasted it onto the FMOLHS letterhead without authorization.

Although the letter was discovered prior to the release of any funds, the inclusion of this forged letter significantly enhanced the appearance of financial participation and institutional backing. The grant was preliminarily approved for nearly $600,000, suggesting that the document materially contributed to potential awarding of the grant.

On Monday, October 13, 2025, LBI Agents arrested Rachel Willis pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by the 19th Judicial District Court pertaining to the fraudulent OLO grant letter on the charge of:

• 1 Count of 14:72-- FORGERY -- (Felony)

Willis was booked without incident at the EBR Parish Prison. 

Her bond was reportedly set at $2500.

The investigation is ongoing.

*All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty