TWO MORE INDICTED IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, ON DISASTER RELIEF FRAUD CHARGES

BATON ROUGE, LA-Two more Louisiana residents were indicted by a federal grand jury last week on fraud charges related to a hurricane disaster relief program, United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced today.

QUENTIN C. DUNN, a/k/a CARLNEL WHITFIELD, age 26, of Jackson, Louisiana, was charged in an indictment on January 31, 2008, with two counts of mail fraud and one count of access device fraud in connection with fraudulent applications for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief. The indictment charges DUNN with carrying out a scheme to defraud the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Louisiana Department of Labor (LDOL) by causing two fraudulent applications for disaster unemployment assistance (DUA) to be filed on his behalf. The indictment alleges that these applications falsely claimed that DUNN had been employed in New Orleans at the time of the disaster, and had lost employment due to Hurricane Katrina. The filing of these allegedly fraudulent applications caused approximately $4,410 in benefits to be transferred to DUA debit cards accessed by DUNN. The charges resulted from an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. If convicted on the mail fraud charges, DUNN faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both, per count. If convicted on the access device fraud charge, DUNN faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine or both.

JIMMY RAY WHITFIELD, age 22, of Zachary, Louisiana, was charged in an indictment on January 31, 2008, with one count of mail fraud and one count of access device fraud in connection with fraudulent applications for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief. The indictment charges WHITFIELD with carrying out a scheme to defraud FEMA and LDOL by filing a false claim for DUA in his own name, falsely stating he had been employed in New Orleans at the time of the disaster and had lost employment due to Hurricane Katrina. The indictment also charges WHITFIELD with aiding and abetting another person in obtaining money from LDOL as a result of her filing false claims in the names of two people whom he knew did not exist. The filing of these allegedly fraudulent applications caused approximately $2,548 in benefits to be transferred to a DUA debit card in WHITFIELD's name, and approximately $7,764 in benefits to be transferred to DUA debit cards issued under two fictitious names. The charges resulted from an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Postal Service's Office of Inspector General. If convicted on the mail fraud charge, WHITFIELD faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both. If convicted on the access device fraud charge, WHITFIELD faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine or both.

Last week's indictments bring the total number of individuals who have been charged in the Middle District of Louisiana with violations related to hurricane disaster relief funds to one hundred thirty-six.

In September 2005, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force, designed to deter, investigate and prosecute disaster-related federal crimes such as charity fraud, identity theft, procurement fraud and insurance fraud. The Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force-chaired by Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division-includes the FBI, the U.S. Inspectors General community, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Executive Office for United States Attorneys and others.

For further information, contact David R. Dugas, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, or Lyman Thornton, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, at (225) 389-0443. Anyone suspecting criminal activity involving disaster assistance programs can make an anonymous report by calling the toll-free Hurricane Relief Fraud Hotline, 1-866-720-5721, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until further notice. Information can also be emailed to the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force at HKFTF@leo.gov or sent by surface mail, with as many details as possible, to Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4909.