Press Releases
OCEAN SPRINGS MAN SENTENCED FOR KATRINA FRAUD
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JACKSON, Miss. – Vincent W. Pempeit of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to a term of 3 years probation with 6 months of home confinement. He was also ordered to pay restitution to FEMA in the amount of $9,558.00, U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton announced.
Pempeit filed for disaster benefits with FEMA, and for a home grant through the Mississippi Development Authority on a rental property in Ocean Springs, Mississippi as his primary residence while he was living in Louisiana..
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.
