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Latest Legal News from the Criminal Courts in Houston, Texas
April 25, 2007
MAN CONVICTED OF FILING A FALSE CLAIM WITH FEMA FOR HURRICANE RITA RELIEF RECEIVES PROBATION
(HOUSTON, TX) - Donald J. DeGabrielle, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas announced today that Daniel Darnell Kendrick, 26, of Liberty County was sentenced to two (2) years probation and ordered to make restitution in the amount of $2,000 to FEMA after being convicted of charges of making a false claim to obtain government assistance following Hurricane Rita.
Kendrick, who was arrested November 30, 2006 and later released on bond, was charged in a one-count indictment with filing a claim with FEMA for Hurricane Rita disaster assistance which falsely claimed his primary residence at 570 Campus, in Beaumont, Texas was damaged by Hurricane Rita and he had essential needs for clothing and shelter.
Kendrick pleaded guilty to the charge on January 30, 2007 before United States District Judge David Hittner, admitting that he made the false claim, and received and cashed a $2,000 check from FEMA in early October 2005. During that proceeding, it was revealed that the true resident of 570 Campus, Beaumont, Texas had made a claim for hurricane assistance, but was initially denied because Kendrick had already made a claim for relief as the person residing at the Campus address. Special Agents with the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General began an investigation that ultimately led to the indictment and arrest of Kendrick. The agents found that Kendrick resided at an apartment complex in Baytown, Texas during Hurricane Rita and neither he, nor the apartment complex in Baytown sustained any damage from the hurricane.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas is a member of the Department of Justice's Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force, created by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales to deter, detect and prosecute unscrupulous individuals who try to take advantage of the Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita disasters. Headed by Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher, the Task Force is comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement investigating agencies and the United States Attorney’s Offices in the Gulf Coast region and nationwide.
This case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, and was prosecuted Assistant United States Attorney James R. Buchanan.
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