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Tangipahoa Man Charged with Defrauding American Red Cross
JOHNNIE ALEXANDER, 40, a resident of Tangipahoa, LA, was charged with wire fraud yesterday in a one-count bill of information relating to fraudulent applications he made to the American Red Cross for financial assistance during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to the bill of information, the American Red Cross made disaster assistance money of up to $1,565 available to those affected by the hurricanes of 2005 on a one-time only basis. Documents show that on three occasions between September 2005 and October 2005, ALEXANDER applied for and received disaster assistance funds from the Red Cross. The documents show that ALEXANDER intentionally violated the Red Cross’s one-time only policy by continuing to apply for these funds, and representing that he had not received assistance in the past. The bill of information alleges that ALEXANDER fraudulently obtained $3,130 from the American Red Cross.
If convicted, ALEXANDER faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a $250,0000 fine, and three years of supervised release following imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
U.S. Attorney Letten reiterated that the bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharan E. Lieberman.
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