Press Releases
LONG BEACH MAN SENTENCED FOR KATRINA FRAUD
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GULFPORT, Miss. – Wesley R. Ford, III, of Long Beach, Mississippi entered a guilty plea and was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to serve three years of probation for Hurricane Katrina fraud, U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton announced. Ford was also ordered to repay $2,358.00 to FEMA, and ordered to complete 40 hours of community service.
In September, 2005, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created the national 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 for the Criminal Division, Alice S. Fisher, includes members from the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Postal Inspector’s Office and the Executive Office of United States Attorneys, among others.
Pursuant to the Justice Department initiative, a local Katrina Fraud Task Force, consisting of over 20 Federal and State law enforcement agencies, was formed in the Southern District of
Mississippi to pursue and prosecute individuals who engage in fraud associated with the hurricanes.
If anyone has information concerning possible fraud being committed during the post-Katrina recovery effort, please call either the DHS-OIG Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or the FBI Fraud Hotline at 1-800-225-5324.
