A New Orleans Inspector General report finds 32 properties in the city still had frozen tax assessments and even homestead exemptions despite the listed homeowner being dead.
The examination of the records finds this cost the city $204,555 in tax revenue.
"In these times of increasing threats and limited resources, is incumbent upon the Assessor’s Office and the Bureau of Treasury to combine their resources to efficiently identify and mitigate the threat of Homestead Exemption fraud," said Inspector General Edward Michel.
The assessor's office has since removed the homestead exemptions and assessment freezes from these properties. The New Orleans Bureau of Treasury has issued revised real estate tax bills to the properties current owners.
