Man pretends to be a Texas hurricane victim and gets new home, feds say. He’s charged
A Texas man pretended to be a hurricane victim to get federal dollars for a new home, federal officials said.
Hurricane Harvey devastated Southeast Texas in August 2017, according to the National Weather Service. The damaging winds and extreme flooding damaged over 300,000 homes, according to a 2019 report by the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition.
The 45-year-old man was not one of the people in need of federal aid for a new home, federal officials said in a June 12 news release, but he applied for it anyway.
“(He) exploited a program intended to assist vulnerable victims of Hurricane Harvey and used those funds for his own personal enrichment,” U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani said in a news release. “Public resources for disaster relief should go to the victims that actually need them, not to enrich private actors like (him).”
He received a newly rebuilt home worth $314,000, officials said. According to court records, he would not have received the new home if he had disclosed his “his true principal place of residence.”
The man pleaded guilty to theft of government funds for applying and receiving the congressional-allocated disaster aid through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
His attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on June 13.
“(His) alleged conduct is disturbing, especially during this time when the public is reminded of the devastation that historic storms leave with thousands of victims,” HUD Special Agent in Charge Bertrand Nelson said in the news release.
Houston and the surrounding Harris County received $2.3 billion in disaster relief, according to the Texas Tribune. Approximately 42% of the homes in Houston were damaged or destroyed, according to KTRK.
“The taxpayer has no tolerance for those who steal from Federal public aid – the sole goal of which is to help victims rebuild and move forward with their lives,” Nelson said.
His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 8. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, federal officials said.
