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Hammond Woman Pleads Guilty to Defrauding American Red Cross
NEW ORLEANS, LA—TYRA CYPRIAN, age 31, a resident of Hammond, Louisiana, pled guilty today to one count of mail fraud relating to a series of fraudulent applications for financial assistance that she submitted to the American Red Cross, 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. TYRA CYPRIAN admitted that she applied for and received disaster assistance funds from the Red Cross up to 13 times between September 23, 2005 and October 25, 2005. CYPRIAN 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, CYPRIAN fraudulently obtained $12,520.00 from the American Red Cross.
CYPRIAN faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years and is subject to a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing has been scheduled for October 28, 2009.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service Inspectors, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Friel.
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