[StBernard] ANOTHER INDICTED, ANOTHER PLEADS GUILTY IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, TO FEDERAL FRAUD CHARGES

[Westley Annis]

ANOTHER INDICTED, ANOTHER PLEADS GUILTY IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, TO
FEDERAL FRAUD CHARGES 
BATON ROUGE, LA - Another Louisiana resident was indicted and another pled
guilty in federal court yesterday on charges of fraud related to hurricane
disaster relief programs, United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced. 

CHERYL M. TAYLOR, age 47, of Greensburg, Louisiana, was charged in an
indictment by a federal grand jury yesterday with bank fraud. The indictment
alleges that TAYLOR fraudulently altered the face of a check issued to her
by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster relief
benefits so that the check appeared to be payable to her in an amount of
$10,000 more than the true amount of the check. It is further alleged that
TAYLOR caused these funds to be deposited into her personal bank account,
and later withdrew the funds, knowing that the funds obtained were based on
the deposited amount of the FEMA check that she had fraudulently altered.
The charges resulted from an investigation conducted by Federal Bureau of
Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of
Inspector General. If convicted, TAYLOR faces a maximum sentence of thirty
years imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, or both. 

LESLIE A. SMITH, age 31, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty yesterday
before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Ralph E. Tyson to count one of an
indictment charging her with mail fraud. The case was investigated by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation. As a result of her guilty plea to count one
of the indictment, SMITH faces a maximum sentence of twenty years
imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both. As part of the plea agreement, the
U.S. Attorney's Office will dismiss count two of the indictment when SMITH
is sentenced on count one. 

Yesterday's indictment brings the total number of individuals who have been
charged in the Middle District of Louisiana with violations related to
hurricane disaster relief funds to one hundred thirty. 

In September 2005, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created the
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 Alice S. Fisher of the
Criminal Division - includes the FBI, the U.S. Inspectors General community,
the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Executive
Office for United States Attorneys and others. 

For further information, contact David R. Dugas, U.S. Attorney for the
Middle District of Louisiana, or Lyman Thornton, First Assistant U.S.
Attorney, at (225) 389-0443. Anyone suspecting criminal activity involving
disaster assistance programs can make an anonymous report by calling the
toll-free Hurricane Relief Fraud Hotline, 1-866-720-5721, 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, until further notice. Information can also be emailed to
the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force at <mailto:HKFTF at leo.gov>
HKFTF at leo.gov or sent by surface mail, with as many details as possible, to
Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4909.