FOX 8 Defenders: State seeks repayment of Road Home money from N.O. resident

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - In a follow-up to a FOX 8 Defenders investigation that started in November 2017, we’ve learned the State of Louisiana’s Disaster Recovery Unit is seeking re-payment of Road Home money from a homeowner we’ve reported on for a longtime blighted swimming pool in Lakeview.

In the petition filed in Orleans Civil District Court last month, the State says Frances Musacchia is obligated to re-pay Louisiana $148,479.04 in Road Home funds she received in 2011 for her damaged Vicksburg Street property after Hurricane Katrina.

The petition says the homeowner failed to show proof of compliance, including a requirement to occupy the home within three years of the agreement.

The FOX 8 Defenders have shown you the house at 5700 Vicksburg Street that’s been vacant since 2005 and its longtime blighted swimming pool, which recently sparked the City Council to adopt a new law, targeting dangerous pools.

After years of City Code Enforcement violations, in October, Musacchia drained and cleaned her pool. A wooden deck has since been built on top of it. The City of New Orleans Code Enforcement Director, Albert “Snapper” Poche said the wooden cover is considered abatement, and the pool violation no longer exists.

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