Hammond Woman Sentenced for Defrauding American Red Cross
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 14, 2010 |
NEW ORLEANS, LA—CYNTHIA McGOWAN, 27, a resident of Hammond, LA, was sentenced in federal court today before U.S. District Judge Frederic Block to three (3) years' probation and six (6) months home incarceration after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud related to fraudulent applications for financial assistance that she submitted to the American Red Cross after Hurricane Katrina, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten. In addition, McGOWAN has been ordered to pay $7,825 in restitution to the Red Cross.
According to court documents, McGOWAN applied for and received disaster assistance funds from the American Red Cross nine (9) times. The Red Cross made disaster assistance money of up to $1565 available to those affected by the hurricanes of 2005 on a one-time only basis. McGOWAN repeatedly applied for these funds in September and October of 2005, indicating on several occasions that she had not received any money from the Red Cross.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharan E. Lieberman.