United States Attorney Leura G. Canary Middle District of Alabama

LOCAL WOMAN SENTENCED TO OVER TWO YEARS FOR HURRICANE KATRINA FRAUD

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA— Elizabeth Ann Granville, 28, of Montgomery, Alabama, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark E. Fuller to 2 years and a day in federal prison for defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) out of $2,358.00 which was designated for victims of Hurricane Katrina, U.S. Attorney Leura G. Canary announced today. Granville previously pled guilty on January 4, 2008, to a two-count felony Indictment charging her with theft of government property and aggravated identity theft.

The federal case against Granville arose out of a disaster-assistance application she filed with FEMA in September 2005. That application, which was filed under the social security number belonging to Granville’s minor daughter, falsely claimed that Hurricane Katrina caused losses to a property she had rented in New Orleans, Louisiana. In fact, Granville had never lived in Louisiana and had not suffered any property damage from the hurricane.

In addition to her federal prison sentence, Judge Fuller ordered Granville to make restitution to FEMA by repaying the full amount she stole.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama is a member of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force – an interagency organization initiated by former Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales in September 2005 to deter, detect, investigate and prosecute disaster-related federal crimes. The Task Force is chaired by Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher and is comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, and United States Attorneys’ Offices nationwide. So far, the Middle District of Alabama has charged a total of 40 Hurricane Katrina and Rita fraud-related cases involving 47 different defendants, including Granville.

This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nathan D. Stump.