MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A woman has been sentenced for taking $8,600 in FEMA relief after Hurricane Katrina, despite the fact that she was living in subsidized housing in Minnesota at the time.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 62-year-old Rena McCarter was ordered to serve 50 hours of community service and to pay back the amount taken in restitution.
She also received three years of probation after pleading guilty to one count of theft of public money.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said McCarter, who is from Kenner, La., received Federal Emergency Management Agency funds after claiming on Sept. 16, 2005 that her apartment and personal property had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
However, she was living in housing that was subsidized by the Minnesota Metropolitan Council from Oct. 2004 through Sept. 2009.
McCarter was charged on Oct. 2, 2012 and pleaded guilty later that month.
