Mississippi Woman Pleads Guilty to Katrina Fraud

GULFPORT, MS—Demonica L. Rogers, age 35, of Gautier, Mississippi, pled guilty in U.S. District Court on July 6, 2011, to theft of federal disaster funds of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Hurricane Katrina benefits, U.S. Attorney John Dowdy announced.

Rogers admitted that she stole and converted federal funds by allowing her personal bank accounts to be used to receive stolen federal disaster funds from FEMA in the amount of $21,000. Rogers received payments for the use of her accounts by others involved in the theft.

Rogers will be sentenced on October 13, 2011, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.

This case was investigated by special agents of the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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.