Feb 23, 2007 12:26 am US/Eastern
4 Indicted For Allegedly Taking Katrina Money
LAS VEGAS (AP) ―
Four people in Nevada and Oklahoma were charged with fraudulently obtaining thousands of dollars meant for victims of Hurricane Katrina, authorities said Thursday.
Wilbert J. Bennett Jr., 31, of Henderson, Nev., and Sheila Ritter, 47, of Las Vegas, pleaded not guilty to charges of theft of government funds, U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said in a statement.
Bennett obtained about $15,000 in Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief funds and Ritter received almost $21,000 in FEMA funds following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, authorities said.
Renee Bellinger, 42, was indicted on charges of theft of government funds, identity theft and misuse of a Social Security number. She is accused of using her mother's identification in a scheme to obtain more than $23,000 in disaster relief money, and she is a fugitive, Bogden said.
Bennett and Ritter were released Thursday on personal recognizance bonds. They had not yet been assigned public defenders.
Each faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted, Bogden said. Bellinger faces up to 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines, he said.
In Oklahoma City, Darryl Eugene Hayes, 31, faces charges of mail fraud and making false statements for allegedly defrauding authorities of more than $10,000 by claiming unemployment benefits for supposed Hurricane Katrina evacuees under three false names, U.S. Attorney John C. Richter said.
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