Press Releases
GIBSON MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO DEFRAUDING AMERICAN RED CROSS
October 22, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DARNELL K. WHEATEN, age 41, a resident of Gibson, LA, pled guilty in federal court today before U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon to four counts of mail fraud relating to fraudulent applications for financial assistance that he submitted to the American Red Cross between September 2005 and October 2005, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to court documents, the Red Cross made disaster assistance money of up to $1,565 available to those affected by the hurricanes of 2005 on a one-time only basis. WHEATEN admitted today that he applied for these funds on seventeen occasions throughout the early fall of 2005, indicating that he had not yet received any money at all from the Red Cross. In all , WHEATEN fraudulently obtained $15,700 from the American Red Cross.
WHEATEN faces a possible maximum sentence of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a fine of $250,0000, and a maximum of three (3) years of supervised release following imprisonment as to each of the four counts. He will also be required to pay restitution to the American Red Cross. Sentencing has been scheduled for January 28, 2010.
The case was investigated by the U. S. Postal Inspection Service. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U. S. Attorney Sharan E. Lieberman.
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