Press Releases
FLORIDA COUPLE SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR KATRINA FRAUD
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gulfport, Miss. – William K. Palmer of Lakeland, Florida, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to serve 18 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $4,000.00, and restitution in the amount of $53,784.00, U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton announced.
Palmer filed for disaster benefits with FEMA and the Small Business Administration (SBA), and for a home grant through the Mississippi Development Authority on a rental property in Ocean Springs, Mississippi as his primary residence while living in Florida. His wife Deanne Palmer, also of Lakeland, Florida, was sentenced to 3 years of probation. She was ordered to pay a $500.00 and joint restitution to the SBA in the amount $47,000.00 for her role in the fraud against the Small Business Administration.
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 Department of Homeland Security, 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. The Mississippi State Auditor Fraud Prevention and Protection Unit investigates allegations of fraud in the Homeowner Grant Program as part of the local task force.
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.
