justice

LAFAYETTE – A federal grand jury has returned 11 separate indictments charging 11 St. Mary Parish residents with fraudulently applying for FEMA disaster benefits during the 2016 flood relief program.

According to a prepared statement from the Western District of Louisiana, each individual applied for disaster assistance claiming their vehicle sustained flood damage in Iberia or Lafayette parishes, when each of them was a resident of St. Mary Parish which did not qualify as a designated parish for assistance. 

The indictments allege that on certain dates between September 26, 2016 and November 11, 2016 each of the defendants, acting in concert with others, made false statements and representations to FEMA in an application for transportation benefits and provided certain documentation required by FEMA to process the claim in connection with the Presidential Disaster Declaration for the Louisiana Severe Storms and Flooding.

The indictments further allege that each defendant submitted a signed letter to FEMA stating the subject vehicle belonged to the defendant, was their only means of transportation, and was no longer operable. In each case, the repair estimates submitted by each defendant, which ranged from $6,215 to $9,042, were all from repair shops that did not exist.

The defendants include Dwayne Clark, 49, of Franklin; Roshawn Lewis, 31, of New Iberia; Michelle Kirt, 52, or Franklin; Darius Stansbury, 30, of Franklin; Keshawn Gray, 24, or Berwick; Kieshondra Lovely, 41, of Lake Charles; Juanita Dugas, 58, of Franklin; Nicole Gibson, 51, of Garden City; Gail Nelson; 65, of Franklin; Michell Fernandez, 40, of Franklin and Eric Daniels, 37, of Franklin. 

The charges for each include fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits, theft of government money or property and fraudulent repair estimates.