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A Congressional auditor
reported that thousands
of applicants for federal emergency relief money
following Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita used duplicate or invalid Social Security numbers
or bogus addresses.
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The
audit report states
that FEMA itself found that 900,000 of the 2.5 million applications
for all forms of individual assistance were "potential duplicates".
The testimony of Gregory D. Kutz, managing director of the
GAO forensic audits unit, included the fact that
when FEMA's automated computer system
detected possibly fraudulent
applications, payments were often still
sent. |
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FEMA
spokeswoman Nicol Andrews said the agency
recognized there might be fraud,
but she said the priority was
to get aid out ASAP
to hundreds of thousands of families in dire need.
She said, "We took a calculated risk in a catastrophic
situation. It was the right thing to do.
Unfortunately, some may have cheated the system." |
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Andrews
added that some arrests have been made. FEMA
is also suspending payments to people suspected of trying to cheat
the system. |
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Nearly half of
the 11,000 people who received
the special debit cards as
expedited payments
got a second $2,000 payment in emergency aid.
This debit card approach was used
in the immediate aftermath of the storm in Texas |
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Too many of
these people have been taking too much for too long. They have
become expert in taking. In their opinions they are entitled to take
all that is available for the taking. When hurricanes strike they
are well prepared to take even more. They feel entitled to commit
fraud and steal. |