3 Plead Guilty To Hurricane Katrina Fraud

The Gautier residents intended to bilk the government out of money intended for fisherman devastated by Katrina's landfall.

By: WKRG Staff | WKRG-TV
Published: December 05, 2008

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GAUTIER, Miss. (AP) - U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton says 3 Gautier
residents have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the
government in order to obtain disaster crabbing benefits from the
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
As part of the Hurricane Katrina recovery program, the
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources administered fishing
programs.
Commercial fishermen who held licenses before Katrina were
eligible to be accepted into the contract program in which
participants would be paid $160 for each day of fishing and
reporting by-catch and harvest data.
According to Lampton, the three fraudulently tried to obtain the
benefits. They included Edward Rice, Catherine Rice and Sonya
Bartholomew.
The defendants each face a maximum 10 years in prison and a
$250,000 fine.