LOUISIANA MAN ARRESTED FOR FEMA HOTEL ASSISTANCE FRAUD

JACKSON, Miss. - Derrick Shane Miller of New Orleans was arrested on 34 counts of mail fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in its Hotel Assistance program, U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton of the Southern District of Mississippi and FBI Special Agent in Charge John Raucci announced today. The indictment charges that Miller used his FEMA registration number to obtain multiple hotel rooms at nine different hotels in Jackson, Miss. from Oct., 28, 2005 through March 31, 2006. The indictment also charges that as part of the scheme to defraud FEMA, Miller rented the rooms to others for cash. The total amount of fraud is $27,800.

Miller was indicted on June 6, 2006 as a result of a joint investigation conducted by the FBI and Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics with assistance provided by the Hinds County Sheriff's Office. Miller was taken into custody by the FBI in New Orleans late yesterday. Each count of the indictment carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

"The Katrina Fraud Task Force is an unprecedented law enforcement effort which is aggressively pursuing all complaints of fraud in the wake of Katrina," stated U.S. Attorney Lampton. "Cooperation between law enforcement agencies will allow us to detect and apprehend those who have committed fraud. The message should be clear: if you commit fraud and are caught, you will be prosecuted."

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 United States Attorneys, among others.

Pursuant to the Justice Department initiative, a local Katrina Fraud Task Force, consisting of over 20 federal and state law enforcement agencies, was formed in the Southern District of Mississippi to pursue and prosecute individuals who file false and fraudulent claims.

If anyone has information concerning possible fraud being committed during the post-Katrina recovery effort, please call either the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General at 1-866-720-5721 or the FBI Fraud Hotline at 1-800-225-5324.