ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — A 30-year-old woman was sentenced in federal court Tuesday in St. Paul for stealing money from FEMA in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Vianca McCarter, of Kenna, La., was sentenced for theft of public money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will receive five years of probation. McCarter must pay $33,502 in restitution after she was indicted on Oct. 15 and pleaded guilty on Oct. 40.
In her plea agreement, McCarter admitted that on Sept. 12, 2005, she falsely represented to FEMA that she resided in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.
She also falsely claimed that her residence and personal property was damaged by the disaster, and that she needed emergency rental assistance benefits.
In reality, McCarter was residing in housing subsidized by the Minnesota Metropolitan Council from October 2004 through November 2009.
Based on McCarter’s fraudulent application, from Sept. 18, 2005, through Oct. 25, 2007, FEMA awarded her a total of $34,102 in disaster assistance benefits.
