Mississippi Women Use Hurricane Katrina to Rip Off Government

A press release from the United States Attorney's Office Southern District of Mississippi reports that two Mississippi women have been sentenced for submitting false claims to FEMA to thereby receive Hurricane Katrina disaster assistance funds. Claudette Luckett and Samantha Lewis both provided false addresses in Biloxi, Mississippi. They reported to FEMA that they had experienced extreme hardship as a result of Hurricane Katrina and therefore needed funds from the government to survive.

Luckett received $5,375.41 from FEMA through this fraudulent scheme. Lewis received $10,090.00 for her criminal efforts. Lewis received money not only from FEMA, but also from the Department of Labor. Both women pled guilty to the charges against them in April of this year. Luckett was sentenced to three years probation and was also ordered to refund the entire amount received back to FEMA. Lewis received a slightly stricter sentence. She has been sentenced to five years of supervised probation, 40 hours of community service, payment to FEMA in the amount of $2,000, and payment to the Department of Labor in the amount of $8,190. Neither woman will spend any time in jail for these crimes.

Apparently, fraudulent schemes created by individuals seeking to take advantage of the federal government during natural disasters are common. In September of 2005, United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales created the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force. This organization employs members of the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Postal Inspector's Office, and the Executive Office of United States Attorneys. Additionally, a local state-staffed organization was created to investigate and prosecute those involved in natural disaster fraud cases.

Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest and most expensive natural disasters in the history of the United States. Nearly 2,000 individuals lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Most of these deaths (over 1800) were in Louisiana and Mississippi. Beyond those numbers, hundreds of individuals went missing or contracted serious illnesses due to Katrina's devastation. Fraudulent schemes like this one only escalate the already astronomical costs of these upsetting natural disasters. Tracking the scammers down can also be quite difficult in these cases where false addresses are provided since the surroundings of those addresses are often destroyed. Although most people in the United States seek to help others in these states of emergency, these two Mississippi women show that some seek personal benefit.

Sources:

Southern District of Mississippi Attorney's Office, http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/mss/july192007.html

Federal Emergency Management Agency, www.fema.gov