[StBernard] THREE MORE INDICTED, TWO MORE SENTENCED IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA , ON DISASTER RELIEF FRAUD CHARGES

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Fri Aug 24 21:15:04 EDT 2007


THREE MORE INDICTED, TWO MORE SENTENCED IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA , ON
DISASTER RELIEF FRAUD CHARGES

BATON ROUGE, LA - Three more Louisiana residents were indicted, another was
sentenced, and another pled guilty in federal court on charges of fraud
related to hurricane disaster relief programs, United States Attorney David
R. Dugas announced today.

JOEL J. BRANCH, age 33, of Jonesville, Louisiana, was charged yesterday in a
two-count indictment by a federal grand jury with aiding and abetting the
making a false and fraudulent claim for disaster assistance benefits (Count
One) and with aiding and abetting illegal conversion of government property,
that is, a check from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA)
for expedited disaster assistance (Count Two). The charges resulted from an
investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. If convicted
on Count One, BRANCH faces a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, a
$250,000 fine, or both. If convicted on Count Two, BRANCH faces a maximum
sentence of ten years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both.

TOMIKIA M. BLANCHARD age 27, and KENYONTIA K. HUNTER, age 28, both of Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, were each charged yesterday in a two-count indictment by a
federal grand jury with bank fraud (Count One) and passing a forged Treasury
check of the United States (Count Two). The charges resulted from
investigations conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. If
convicted on Count One, BLANCHARD and HUNTER each faces a maximum sentence
of thirty years imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, or both. If convicted on
Count Two, BLANCHARD and HUNTER each faces a maximum sentence of ten years
imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both.

NYOKI JOHNSON, age 27, of Baton Rouge , Louisiana , pled guilty on May 17,
2007, to Count One of an indictment charging her with making a false claim
for disaster assistance benefits. JOHNSON was sentenced today by U.S.
District Court Judge James J. Brady to three years of probation and $2,000
in restitution. The U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security's Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation of this
matter.

Finally, TERRY WATSON, age 40, of Zachary, Louisiana, was sentenced on
November 16, 2006, to two years of probation, $2,000 in restitution, and 50
hours of community service in connection with his July 5, 2006, guilty plea
to a charge of making a false claim for disaster assistance benefits. U.S.
District Court Judge James J. Brady today revoked WATSON's probation for
failure to comply with the terms thereof, and sentenced WATSON to a term of
imprisonment of eleven months, followed by three years of supervised
release. The charges against WATSON were the result of an investigation by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security's Office of Inspector General.

Today's indictments bring the total number of individuals who have been
charged in the Middle District of Louisiana with violations related to
hurricane disaster relief funds to one hundred twenty-eight.

In September 2005, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created the
Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force, designed to deter, investigate and
prosecute disaster-related federal crimes such as charity fraud, identity
theft, procurement fraud and insurance fraud. The Hurricane Katrina Fraud
Task Force - chaired by Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the
Criminal Division - includes the FBI, the U.S. Inspectors General community,
the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Executive
Office for United States Attorneys and others.

For further information, contact David R. Dugas, U.S. Attorney for the
Middle District of Louisiana, or Lyman Thornton, First Assistant U.S.
Attorney, at (225) 389-0443. Anyone suspecting criminal activity involving
disaster assistance programs can make an anonymous report by calling the
toll-free Hurricane Relief Fraud Hotline, 1-866-720-5721, 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, until further notice. Information can also be emailed to
the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force at :HKFTF at leo.gov sent by surface
mail, with as many details as possible, to Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task
Force, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4909.




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