Katrina Relief Fund Fraud

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A federal grand jury indicts an Oklahoma City man on charges of making false claims for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief funds. <br/><br/>31-year-old Darryl Eugene Hayes faces three

Friday, February 23rd 2007, 6:31 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A federal grand jury indicts an Oklahoma City man on charges of making false claims for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief funds.

31-year-old Darryl Eugene Hayes faces three counts of mail fraud and two counts of making false statements.

According to US Attorney John C. Richter, the indictment claims that Hayes defrauded the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Louisiana Department of Labor of more than $10,000. Richter says Hayes is accused of claiming unemployment benefits for supposed Hurricane Katrina evacuees under three false names.

The indictment also alleges that Hayes submitted a fraudulent application to FEMA, claiming that his home in New Orleans was damaged by the August 2005 storm, and later faxed a letter to FEMA claiming he had sustained losses ``from the hurricane'' and had relocated to Oklahoma City.