10 from St. Mary indicted in flood-aid fraud scheme

Ten St. Mary residents have been accused of defrauding the federal government to get disaster transportation money after the 2016 flooding.
They were named in indictments by a federal grand jury last week in U.S. District Court in Lafayette, said acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.
The cases involve applications to the Federal Emergency Management Agency after the Aug. 11-16, 2016, flooding, when a federal disaster declaration made residents of some Louisiana parishes eligible for funds to repair vehicles damaged by the flood.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the 10 defendants made false statements to FEMA in applying for the aid.
Between Sept. 22 and Nov. 14 that year, said they owned vehicles damaged in Iberia and Lafayette parishes, even though they lived in St. Mary, the prosecutors said. Under the disaster declaration, St. Mary residents were not eligible for the assistance.
The indictments allege that each defendant submitted a signed letter to FEMA stating the subject vehicle belonged to the defendant, was their only means of transportation, and was no longer operable. In each case, the repair estimates submitted by each defendant, which ranged from $6,291 to $8,736, were all from repair shops that did not exist, prosecutors said.
These people were indicted on charges of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits and theft of government money or property:
—Brittany Nicole Hawkins, 29, Franklin, who received $5,999.
—Shannan Latreice Johnson, 45, Franklin, who received $5,999.
—Tasha Jesse Louis, 39, Franklin, who received $6,000.
—Jarnell Wayne Payne, 43, Franklin, who received $5,999.
—Kevin Callery, 34, Baldwin, who received $5,999.
—Leo Green Jr., 55, Franklin, who received $6,000.
—Robert Joseph Johnson, 33, Patterson, who received $6,000.
—Derrick Shawn Kirt, 44, Franklin, who received $5,999.
—Jermaine Scott Thomas Jr., 25, Franklin, who received $6,000.
—Johnathan D. Wilson, 38, Franklin, who received $6,000.