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

[Westley Annis]

ANOTHER SENTENCED IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, 
ON DISASTER RELIEF FRAUD CHARGES
BATON ROUGE, LA - Another Louisiana resident was sentenced in federal court
yesterday on fraud charges related to a hurricane disaster relief program,
United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced.  

        FRED DANIEL MILLER, age 40, of Conway, Arkansas, pled guilty on May
21, 2007, to an indictment charging him with wire fraud.  MILLER was
sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge James J. Brady to a term of
imprisonment of fifteen months, three years of supervised release, and
restitution in the amount of $3,822.00 payable to the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA).  According to the Factual Basis, MILLER had filed
for benefits under the Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) program, which
is funded by FEMA to provide financial assistance to individuals whose
employment has been lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major
disaster.  MILLER was incarcerated at Orleans Parish Prison before Hurricane
Katrina struck the state in August 2005 and was evacuated to several
detention facilities before being released on September 30, 2005.  As an
inmate, MILLER was unemployed and not entitled to disaster unemployment
assistance.  The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General and
the Federal Bureau of Investigation 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
<mailto: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.