Press Releases
JACKSON COUNTY MAN SENTENCED TO 48 MONTHS FOR KATRINA FRAUD
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GULFPORT, Miss - Danny Gene Hale, of Pascagoula, Mississippi was sentenced today
in U.S. District Court to serve 48 months in prison for fraud against the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA). On September 5, 2007, Hale was found guilty by a federal jury
of making a false statement to FEMA for Hurricane Katrina disaster assistance funds, filing a
false claim with FEMA, theft of government funds by fraudulently obtaining FEMA assistance,
and three counts of mail fraud.
U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola sentenced Hale to 24 months on each count, with an
additional 24 months on each count for committing the FEMA fraud while on bond for another
charge. Hale will be on three years supervised release after serving his sentence and was ordered
to pay $10,400.00 restitution to FEMA. Hale will serve the 48 months consecutive to his prior
sentence for counterfeit postal money orders.
This case was investigated by Charles Thompson of the United States Postal Inspection
Service.
In September, 2005, then 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 Department of Homeland Security- OIG,
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.
