United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

Woman Sentenced to 12 Months in Federal Prison, Without Parole,
for Defrauding FEMA of Nearly $15,000

U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper announced today that Stacey Beth Johnson was sentenced today in federal court by United States District Judge John McBryde to 12 months imprisonment. Johnson, who pled guilty in April to one count of making a false statement, was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on September 1, 20006.

After Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005, Stacey Beth Johnson, age 37, of Arlington, Texas, made a claim to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for damage to the property of Stacy E. Johnson, a New Orleans resident and victim of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Stacey Beth Johnson collected nearly $15,000.00, and relief payments to Stacy E. Johnson, of New Orleans, were substantially delayed.

Judge McBryde departed upward from the United States Sentencing Guidelines in sentencing Johnson based in part on the harm that Johnson caused to Stacy E. Johnson, of New Orleans, and her family.

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 members from the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, the Postal Inspector’s Office, and the Executive Office of the United States Attorneys, among others.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alan M. Buie.

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