U.S. Attorney Supports Georgia Storm Victims, Urges Citizens "Do Not Let Disaster Strike Twice"

ALBANY - On the six-month anniversary of Hurricane Michael, a historic storm that caused billions in damage across Georgia, a Public Service Announcement (PSA) from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia (USAO MDGA) is educating citizens about the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF). The Department of Justice manages and tracks complaints of fraudulent activity, including sham charities and people posing as government officials or contractors who prey on storm victims, looking to steal identities or storm benefits. In the PSA, U.S. Attorney Charles “Charlie” Peeler urges citizens to not let “disaster strike twice” and report storm related fraud 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to the Justice Department’s NCDF Disaster Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or at disaster@leo.gov.

When a storm victim makes a complaint, NCDF investigators review the complaint and, as appropriate, refer the complaint to the proper federal, state, or local agency in the relevant jurisdiction. Since NCDF’s creation in 2005, more than 95,000 complaints have been received. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Georgia has an assigned prosecutor to review complaints referred to this Office since Hurricane Michael made landfall in Georgia on October 10, 2018. Hurricane Michael was the strongest hurricane on record to hit the Florida panhandle, crossing into Georgia as a Category 3+ hurricane, the first time a major hurricane has directly impacted Georgia in nearly 130 years. Damage estimates to the agricultural industry alone are estimated at $2.5 billion. Millions of dollars in federal disaster relief has poured into Georgia in the wake of Hurricane Michael.

“The impact of Hurricane Michael is still being felt in South Georgia, and the disastrous effects will continue to be felt for years to come” said Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “I am concerned that residents don’t know there are protections in place when they think they have been victims of fraud, or when they see others taking advantage of federal disaster relief dollars. I promise that this Office will pursue criminals who are trying to scam storm victims who have already suffered so much.”

The National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) is the result of a partnership between the U.S. Department of Justice and various law enforcement and regulatory agencies to form a national coordinating agency within the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice to improve and further the detection, prevention, investigation and prosecution of fraud related to natural and man-made disasters, and to advocate for the victims of such fraud. NCDF operates a call center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to take disaster fraud complaints through a national hotline number (1-866-720-5721) and via email at disaster@leo.gov. The Disaster Fraud Hotline PSA can be viewed and shared at the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia’s Facebook Page @usaomdga. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.