Home New Orleans Press Releases 2010 Slidell Woman Sentenced for Defrauding American Red Cross
Info
This is archived material from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) website. It may contain outdated information and links may no longer function.

Slidell Woman Sentenced for Defrauding American Red Cross

U.S. Attorney’s Office October 07, 2010
  • Eastern District of Louisiana (504) 680-3000

SYLVIA BARNES, age 27, a resident of Slidell, Louisiana, was sentenced today in federal court today before U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier to three years’ probation and ordered to pay restitution after pleading guilty to submitting a series of fraudulent applications for financial assistance to the American Red Cross in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

According to court documents, 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. SYLVIA BARNES admitted that she applied for and received disaster assistance funds from the Red Cross up to four times between September 2, 2005, and October 5, 2005. BARNES 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, BARNES fraudulently obtained $4,695.00 from the American Red Cross.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ginsberg.

This content has been reproduced from its original source.