BESSEMER MAN CHARGED WITH DEFRAUDING FEMA

BIRMINGHAM, AL - An indictment has been filed today in U.S. District Court charging JOSEPH L. CUMMINGS, JR.,with one count of making false claims to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and one count of stealing $2,000 in Disaster Relief Funds.

“FEMA assistance is meant for victims of disaster,” states U.S. Attorney Alice H. Martin. “Those who steal or defraud FEMA will be prosecuted as the law allows.”

It is alleged in the indictment that CUMMINGS, 26, of Bessemer, Alabama, made false statements on a claim submitted to FEMA. He subsequently received $2000 in disaster relief assistance and negotiated the funds knowing the information used to obtain disaster relief assistance was false.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation is committed to investigate allegations of false claims submitted for disaster relief funds,” states Carmen S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The maximum penalty for making false claims against the government is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or both. The maximum penalty for theft of government property or money is ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or both.

In September 2005, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales created the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force to deter, investigate and prosecute disaster-related federal crime, such as charity fraud and insurance fraud. This task force, chaired by Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division, United States Department of Justice, includes members from the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Trade Commission, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama as well as law enforcement in the Northern District are members of the Task Force.

Assistant United States Attorney John H. England, III, is prosecuting this matter on behalf of the U.S. Government. The investigation was conducted by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Anyone suspecting criminal activity involving disaster assistance programs can make an anonymous report by calling toll-free the FBI Hurricane Relief Fraud Hotline at 1-800-225-5324.

Members of the public are reminded that an Indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.