FEMA Will Try to Recoup Millions Distributed for Hurricane Relief

FEMA Will Try to Recoup Millions Distributed for Hurricane Relief

By ERIC LIPTON
Published: March 18, 2006
WASHINGTON, March 17 — Acknowledging that it wrongly distributed tens of millions of dollars in hurricane relief last year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday that it would try to recoup aid from thousands of individuals or families who fraudulently or otherwise wrongly collected money.

Officials at the agency said it was a routine step taken after any disaster because in the rush to distribute emergency aid, benefits were occasionally paid twice to the same family or to people who were ineligible.

"In every disaster there are just some people who are bad apples who attempt to take advantage of the programs," said Donna Dannels, the acting deputy director of disaster recovery at FEMA.

But auditors examining the $6.8 billion in disaster assistance distributed last year to 1.7 million households after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma said FEMA was to blame for much of the abuse because of a woefully inadequate accounting system that left it vulnerable to fraud.

More @ http://tinyurl.com/fmp9h Ny Times

Good luck on this! First you have to find the people and if you do, try getting blood out a stone.