Superseding Indictment Announced in Bayou La Batre Fraud Case
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 23, 2011 |
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, Kenyen R. Brown, announces that the grand jury has issued a superseding indictment in the case against Stanley M. Wright and Mary L. Wright. The previous indictment included charges of conspiracy in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371; Theft from program receiving federal funds in violation of Title 18, United States Code, § 666; and money laundering in violation of 1956 (a)(1). Additionally, Stanley Wright has been charged with retaliation in violation of Title 18, United States Code, § 1513(e). The superceding indictment also charges Janey Galbraith in the conspiracy.
Also, Stanley Wright and Janey Galbraith have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, § 1349 and Janey Galbraith has been charged with wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, §1343 in connection with Housing Assistance Grants provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development after Hurricane Katrina.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Special Agent in Charge Herschell Harvell stated “HUD Office of the Inspector General working together with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will continue to ensure that federal taxpayer dollars are not diverted for personal gain but for the purpose for which they were appropriated.”
FBI Mobile Special Agent in Charge Lewis M. Chapman stated, “Investigating allegations of public corruption is one of the FBI’s top priorities and we will thoroughly investigate all such allegations. In order to assist and facilitate the reporting of corruption allegations by the citizens of Alabama, the FBI has established a public corruption hotline and the public is encouraged to call the FBI and report possible corruption matters at 855-650-5895.”
The statutory maximum penalty provided by law for the most serious of these offenses is a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment. As in all criminal cases, the indictment returned by the grand jury is only a charge and the defendants are presumed innocent.
This case was investigated by the FBI, HUD, and FEMA. The case will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.