Home San Diego Press Releases 2011 Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining Disaster Relief
Info
This is archived material from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) website. It may contain outdated information and links may no longer function.

Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining Disaster Relief

U.S. Attorney’s Office March 14, 2011
  • Southern District of California (619) 557-5610

United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy announced that Cynthia D. Magee was sentenced today to serve 27 months’ in prison following her guilty plea to an indictment charging her with fraudulently obtaining more than $20,000 in disaster relief following Hurricane Katrina. United States District Judge Larry A. Burns additionally ordered Magee to pay $20,572 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release after her release from prison.

According to court records, shortly after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005, Magee submitted a claim for disaster relief to Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), in which she falsely stated that her primary residence was located in New Orleans, Louisiana and subsequently improperly received more than $14,000 in FEMA benefits. Magee further admitted that she traveled throughout the Gulf Coast region collecting American Red Cross disaster-relief debit cards by falsely claiming to reside in Louisiana and Mississippi and receiving more than $5,000 in disaster assistance funds.

The investigation leading to the charges was conducted by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

This case was brought as part of this District’s partnership with the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF), a nationwide initiative to protect available funds and assistance for those victims of both natural and man-made disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes.

If you have knowledge of fraud, waste, abuse, or allegations of mismanagement involving disaster relief operations, you can contact the NCDF by calling the hotline at (866) 720-5721. You can also fax information to (225) 334-4707 or e-mail it to disaster@leo.gov.

Defendant
Case Number: 10cr3466-LAB
Cynthia D. Magee, aka Cynthia Magee Turner, Cynthia D. Turner, Cynthia Turner
Age: 43
San Diego, CA

Summary of Charges
Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001 (False Statement)
Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343 (Wire Fraud)

Agencies
Federal Bureau of Investigation
United States Postal Inspection Service

This content has been reproduced from its original source.