New Orleans Woman Charged W/ Fraud on Fed Program
ByNew Orleans Woman Charged With Fraud on Recovery Program
By Jennifer Harmon, National Mortgage News
February 17, 2010
Elizabeth Holiday, 38, a resident of New Orleans, was charged with theft of government funds in a two-count bill of information relating to fraudulent applications she made to the Louisiana Road Home Program and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for financial assistance during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
According to the bill of information, both the Louisiana Road Home Program and FEMA made disaster assistance money available to those whose primary residence was destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Court documents say Holiday applied for and received a Road Home grant of $54,567 and a FEMA grant of $21,382 for residential property located at 4927 Pecan St., New Orleans, which she owned but used as a rental property at the time Hurricane Katrina struck.
It is alleged that Holiday fraudulently represented that she was a resident of the property at the time of the storm.
If convicted of both counts, U.S. attorney Jim Letten says Holiday faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000 and a maximum of three years of supervised release, as to each count. Holiday would also be required to pay restitution to the Louisiana Road Home Program and FEMA.