Woman lied about historic flood destroying home to cash in on FEMA payments, feds say

When a historic flood destroyed tens of thousands of homes in southern Louisiana, a woman claimed hers was one of them and cashed in on FEMA payments, federal prosecutors say.

But she lied — a FEMA inspector who visited the residence discovered after six deposits made it into her bank account totaling $22,104, court documents show.

Now Schshinetia Anderson, 44, of New Orleans has pleaded guilty to FEMA fraud six years after the natural disaster struck the state and left several people dead in August 2016, according to an Aug. 18 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

She is facing up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, the release says.

McClatchy News contacted Anderson’s attorney for comment on Aug. 19 and was awaiting a response.

When Anderson applied for financial help from FEMA, she submitted fake records to support the lie that her rented apartment in Slidell was no longer “livable” due to floodwaters, according to court documents.

“My Tenant Ms. Schshinetia Anderson and her family had to move out of the Home so I can make repairs to it so the home can be livable again. And safe,” a handwritten note purportedly from the property’s owner that was submitted with the FEMA application read, prosecutors say.

As a result, beginning in September 2016, FEMA deposited checks in her bank account until May 2017, according to court documents.

Sometime afterward, prosecutors say a FEMA inspector visited the apartment and found no damages as claimed by Anderson.

The property owner told investigators that the handwritten note Anderson submitted with her FEMA application was forged, and added that she stopped paying her monthly rent, court documents state.

Because of this, the property owner went to evict Anderson, but prosecutors say she was nowhere to be found as she still owed rent money.

Anderson is also facing up to three years of supervised release, the release says.

The storms and flooding that hit southern Louisiana in 2016 lasted from Aug. 11 to Aug. 31, according to FEMA. At least 13 people died and thousands were evacuated from their homes.

At the time, the Red Cross called the event the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy struck the east coast in 2012, according to World Weather Attribution.

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