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

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Tue Jan 29 18:59:48 EST 2008


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

BATON ROUGE, LA - Two more Louisiana residents were sentenced this week in
federal court on fraud charges related to a hurricane disaster relief
program, United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced.

TERRI L. LEWIS, age 41, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty on August 15,
2007, to Count One of an indictment charging her with making a false and
fraudulent claim for disaster assistance benefits. LEWIS was sentenced on
January 23, 2008, by U.S. District Court Judge Frank J. Polozola to three
years of probation and $2,000 in restitution to the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA). The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the
investigation of this matter.

PAMELA D. WHITAKER, age 44, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty on August
2, 2007, to an indictment charging her with two counts of mail fraud in
connection with checks received from FEMA. WHITAKER was sentenced on January
24, 2008, by U.S. District Court Judge James J. Brady to three years of
probation, including one month of home confinement, and $4,358 in
restitution to FEMA. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the
investigation of this matter.

The 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 thirty-four.

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 or sent by surface
mail, with as many details as possible, to Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task
Force, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4909.






More information about the StBernard mailing list