Press Releases
Gulfport Woman Sentenced in Katrina Fraud Case
MONDAY, JUNE 4 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GULFPORT, Miss - Rose M. Crosby, of Gulfport, Mississippi was sentenced in U.S. District Court to serve four months in prison followed by 6 months home confinement, U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton announced today. Crosby was also ordered to pay restitution to FEMA and perform 40 hours of community service.
Crosby was found guilty after a two day jury trial in March 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 two counts of mail fraud. According to the indictment, Crosby received $4,358.00 from FEMA by utilizing an address where she no longer lived, and claiming hurricane damage at that address. At the time Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Crosby was living with friends in Biloxi, Mississippi, and sustained no damages.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Scott Gilbert and Annette Williams were the prosecutors in this case.
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.
