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

[Westley Annis]

TWO MORE SENTENCED, TWO MORE PLEAD GUILTY IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, ON
DISASTER RELIEF FRAUD CHARGES 
BATON ROUGE, LA - Two more Louisiana residents were sentenced, and two more
pled guilty in federal court on charges of fraud related to hurricane
disaster relief programs, United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced
today. 

JACETHEN HALL, age 37, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty on April 20,
2007, to Count Two of an indictment charging him with illegal conversion of
government property, that is, a check from the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) for expedited disaster assistance. HALL was sentenced
yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Frank J. Polozola to a term of
imprisonment of seven months and $2,000 in restitution. The Federal Bureau
of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of
Inspector General conducted the investigation of this matter. 

LISA M. WILLIAMS, age 38, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty on April 4,
2007, to Count One of an indictment charging her with making a false and
fraudulent claim for disaster relief benefits. WILLIAMS was sentenced
yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Frank J. Polozola to three years
probation and $2,000 in restitution. The Federal Bureau of Investigation,
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General, and
the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General conducted
the investigation of this matter. 

KIM W. MAJOR, age 48, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty yesterday
before U.S. District Court Judge John V. Parker to Count One of an
indictment charging her with mail fraud. The indictment alleges that in
September of 2005, MAJOR filed two fraudulent claims for FEMA disaster
assistance. The indictment alleges that in the second application, which
MAJOR filed using the name "KIMWONG BAIRD," she falsely claimed that her
primary residence at the time of the storm was in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The United States has charged that MAJOR was able to sustain her fraudulent
scheme by obtaining a driver's license bearing her name and picture but
containing the New Orleans address she had used in her FEMA application,
which she then used in subsequent correspondence with FEMA regarding the
application. The defendant received more than $25,000 in disaster assistance
benefits to which she was not entitled. She has agreed to repay this entire
amount pursuant to the terms of the plea agreement. The case was
investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of
Inspector General and the U.S. Secret Service. As a result of her guilty
plea, MAJOR faces a maximum sentence of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a
$250,000 fine, or both. As part of the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney's
Office will dismiss the remaining counts of the indictment when MAJOR is
sentenced. 

KIMBERLY S. BOWMAN, age 21, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty yesterday
before U.S. District Court Judge John V. Parker to Count One of an
indictment charging her with mail fraud. The indictment alleges that BOWMAN
filed two fraudulent claims for FEMA disaster assistance and received $2,000
for each fraudulent claim. The indictment also alleges that BOWMAN submitted
a fraudulent claim to FEMA and the Louisiana Department of Labor for
disaster unemployment assistance, falsely reporting that she had lost her
job as a direct result of Hurricane Katrina. Through this application, in
addition to the FEMA disaster assistance benefits she had already received,
the defendant received approximately $4,255 in unemployment assistance
benefits to which she was not entitled. The case was investigated by the
U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of
Inspector General. As a result of her guilty plea, BOWMAN faces a maximum
sentence of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both. As
part of the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney's Office will dismiss the
remaining counts of the indictment when BOWMAN is sentenced. 

The total number of individuals who have been charged in the Middle District
of Louisiana with violations related to hurricane disaster relief funds
stands at one hundred twenty-nine. 
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 <mailto:HKFTF at leo.gov>
HKFTF at leo.gov or sent by surface mail, with as many details as possible, to
Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4909.