By Kristin Hunt
Copyright phillyvoice
A woman from Montgomery County has pleaded guilty to defrauding the federal government in the wake of Hurricane Ida.
Jasmine Williams, 34, admitted to a scheme targeting the Federal Emergency Management Agency. As detailed in court proceedings, the Plymouth Meeting woman offered to help others apply for FEMA benefits after the Hurricane Ida ripped through Pennsylvania and other states along the East Coast in the late summer of 2021. President Joe Biden had authorized funds to assist residents in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and York counties who were impacted by the storm.
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Williams, prosecutors say, submitted fraudulent documents to FEMA on behalf of dozens of applicants. The paperwork included false leases, utility bills, earning statements, letters from landlords and home repair estimates. FEMA approved over $1.5 million in assistance based on these applications, half of which Williams pocketed herself.
She was arrested and charged with 31 counts of mail and wire fraud in April 2024. Williams also pleaded guilty to one count of fraud related to a major disaster declaration.
She will be sentenced on Jan. 12.
Hurricane Ida, which reached Category 4 at its peak, killed at least five people in Pennsylvania. The majority of the deaths occurred in Montgomery County, which experienced significant flooding and property damage. Roughly 38,000 homes and businesses in the county lost power in the aftermath of the cyclone, which also sent a tornado through Upper Dublin Township.
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