NEW ORLEANS — A 10-page lawsuit, filed Wednesday, lays out what former New Orleans city employee Sunae Villavaso claims led to her wrongful firing at the hands of top leaders at city hall.

“They said, just, ‘Your services are no longer needed,’” said Villavaso back in May, a month after being fired. She spoke exclusively to WWL Louisiana Chief Investigator David Hammer.

According to her federal lawsuit, during her time as Director of the Office of Workforce Development, “Villavaso discovered instances of payroll fraud and the misuse and misallocation of ARPA funds by City employees.” ARPA funds are federal dollars allocated to the city for COVID-19 relief.

The lawsuit claims that the “Director of Administration and Planning for the City of New Orleans was ignoring the protocol for the d

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