Gulfport, Miss. -- Norman Joseph Shiyou, 62, of Kiln, Mississippi, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine for theft of federal funds, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Richard Walker, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations. The Court also ordered that restitution in the amount of $5,000 be paid to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. Additionally, an Order of Forfeiture for a monetary judgment in the amount of $5,000 was entered by the Court.

Shiyou, as the owner of J&J Rentals in Kiln, Mississippi, submitted an application and was approved for grant monies in or near February of 2008, for Workforce Investment Act National Emergency Grant funds. These funds come directly from the U.S. Department of Labor, as administered by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security through contracts with regional workforce investments areas. The funds were meant to assist small business owners in Harrison and Hancock Counties in their recovery from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Shiyou submitted receipts for fraudulent reimbursements totaling the maximum reimbursement amount of $5,000, which he received.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Mississippi Department

Return to Top