Harrisburg Woman Sentenced After She Stole Debit Cards for Hurricane Katrina Victims

Martin C. Carlson, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania today announced the sentencing in a case involving the theft and unlawful conversion of debit cards issued for the benefit of victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Jody Burnett, age 50, of Harrisburg was charged with access device fraud and arrested on September 17, 2008. On November 5, 2008, she entered a guilty plea to the charge. Today, Burnett was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner to a 37-month term of imprisonment, three years’ supervised release and ordered to pay $63,381 in restitution.

A the time of her guilty plea, Burnett admitted that she was an intern at the Red Cross of the Susquehanna Valley during the period between October 2005 and March 2006 and that she made unauthorized use of the debit cards that were intended for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Mr. Carlson stated, “This prosecution underscores the unwavering commitment of federal law enforcement to ensure that moneys meant for those in need are not diverted to those motivated by greed.” Carlson thanked the Harrisburg Office of the United States Secret Service for its work investigating this case.

In September 2005, the Department of Justice created the 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 includes members from the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, the Postal Inspector’s Office and the Executive Office of United States Attorneys, among others.