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Gautier Woman Sentenced for Katrina Fraud

U.S. Attorney’s Office March 26, 2010
  • Southern District of Mississippi (601) 965-4480

GULFPORT, MS—Jodie Renner, 38, of Gautier, Mississippi, was sentenced on March 25 by U.S. District Judge Halil S. Ozerden to three years of probation and ordered to immediately repay $19,556.15 she stole from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Attorney Donald R. Burkhalter announced. In addition, Renner was ordered to complete 60 hours of community service.

Renner previously pled guilty to filing the false claim for assistance on an apartment at which she did not live at the time of Hurricane Katrina by submitting falsified rental receipts. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In September, 2005, former Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created the national 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 for the Criminal Division, Lanny A. Breuer—includes members from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, 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, among others.

Pursuant to the Justice Department initiative, a local Katrina Fraud Task Force, consisting of over 20 federal and state law enforcement agencies, was formed in the Southern District of Mississippi to pursue and prosecute individuals who engage in fraud associated with the hurricanes. If anyone has information concerning possible fraud being committed during the post- Katrina recovery effort, please call either the DHS-OIG Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or the FBI Fraud Hotline at 1-800-225-5324.

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