INDIANAPOLIS COUPLE CHARGED WITH HURRICANE KATRINA FRAUD

Timothy M. Morrison, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, announced that JIMMY ALEXANDER, 38, and DAWN ALEXANDER, 34, both of Indianapolis, Indiana, were indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Indianapolis for conspiracy and theft of public money, specifically, funds of the Hurricane Katrina relief fund, following a joint investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The indictment alleges that JIMMY and DAWN ALEXANDER, beginning in September 2005 and continuing until January 2007, submitted multiple false documents to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) claiming that JIMMY ALEXANDER was a resident of New Orleans, LA whose residence was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The indictment further alleges that as a direct result of these false documents, JIMMY and DAWN ALEXANDER received approximately $22,000 from the Hurricane Katrina relief program to which they were not entitled.

According to Assistant U. S. Attorney Bradley P. Shepard, who is prosecuting the case for the government, JIMMY and DAWN ALEXANDER face a maximum possible prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum possible fine of $250,000. An initial hearing will be scheduled before a United States Magistrate Judge in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The indictment is an allegation only, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at trial or by guilty plea.

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