Slidell Woman Sentenced for Defrauding American Red Cross

LINDA PICHON, age 55, a resident of Slidell, LA, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon to seven (7) months’ incarceration, three (3) years’ probation and to make full restitution to the American Red Cross in the amount of $17,250.00. In April of 2010, PICHON admitted that she filed a series of fraudulent applications for financial assistance with the American Red Cross between September 9, 2005 and October 6, 2005, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten. The financial assistance was made available to residents of Southeastern Louisiana who had been affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

According to court documents, PICHON, applied for and received disaster assistance funds from the Red Cross twelve (12) times during a roughly four week period. 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. PICHON repeatedly applied for these funds throughout the early fall of 2005, each time indicating that she had not yet received any money at all from the Red Cross. In all, PICHON fraudulently obtained $17,250.00 from the American Red Cross.

PICHON faced a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and was subject to a fine of up to $250,000.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspectors, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Friel.