4Law
15/9/05 01:00 - Hurricane Katrina
Fraud Task Force
in USDOJ HQ
Recent
history, including Hurricane Ivan and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,
has shown that some criminals seek to profit from disaster by means of fraud,
and recent reports indicate that fraudulent Internet sites designed to lure
those seeking to donate to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts have already been
posted.
The
Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force - chaired by Assistant Attorney General
Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division - includes members from the FBI, the
Federal Trade Commission, the Postal Inspector’s Office, and the Executive
Office of the United States Attorneys, among others. The Task Force will be
directed to track referrals of potential cases and complaints, coordinate with
law enforcement agencies to initiate investigations, match referrals with the
appropriate U.S. Attorney’s offices, and ensure timely and effective
prosecution of Katrina fraud cases. The Task Force will be national in scope,
working with state and local law enforcement and state attorneys general to
identify cases, and will report back to the Attorney General on a periodic
basis.
“We cannot
allow the kindness of Americans to be exploited in this time of disaster and
crisis,” said Attorney General Gonzales. “This Task Force will help ensure that
those offering a helping hand do not themselves become the victims of fraud,
and that the money and support they so graciously and generously offer goes to
the intended recipients - the many victims of Hurricane Katrina.”
US v. Robert E. Moneyhan - Fake Katrina Donations Websites
Crist Sues Website Operator
for Unlawfully Soliciting Hurricane Donations
TALLAHASSEE
- Attorney General Charlie Crist today filed a civil
lawsuit against Nassau County resident Robert E. Moneyhan
and obtained an injunction prohibiting him from fraudulently soliciting relief
donations intended for Hurricane Katrina victims. Moneyhan,
51, also known as "Demon Moon," allegedly created several Katrina-related
websites, none of which was a legitimate charitable operation.
"While difficult times bring out the best in most people, unfortunately
they also bring out the worst in a few," said Crist.
"The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina has elicited an agonizing
plea for help, and thankfully countless Americans are responding from the
bottom of their hearts. The thought that someone would seek to pervert relief
efforts when assistance is so desperately needed is truly appalling."
As Hurricane Katrina was gathering strength in the Gulf of Mexico after passing
through southern Florida, Moneyhan registered domain
names for websites. He created katrinahelp.com, katrinadonations.com,
katrinarelief.com and katrinarelieffund.com, as well as possible others that
are yet unknown. As of August 31, the donations solicited from websites
katrinahelp.com and katrinadonations.com were to be
directed to Moneyhan's private Paypal
account. Moneyhan did not file registration documents
with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to solicit
donations, as required by law.
Moneyhan also misrepresented that "100% of all
donations used for relief." Due to customary transaction fees charged by Paypal, this guarantee is not possible to honor, resulting
in violations of advertising laws. Investigators with the Attorney General's
Office determined that none of the websites represents a legitimate charity and
no funds donated to Moneyhan's sites would reach
Hurricane Katrina victims.
Moneyhan has changed the websites so they no longer
solicit contributions, but now appear to offer the website names for sale to
the highest bidder. Through quick actions taken by the Attorney General's
Office and Paypal, Moneyhan
was prevented from capitalizing on his scheme. Today's injunction will prevent Moneyhan from any further website modifications that would
unlawfully solicit donations for his personal benefit.
The lawsuit was filed in Nassau County Circuit Court under Florida's Deceptive
and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Moneyhan faces
penalties of $10,000 per violation.
1 4Law`s Example
Case - Katrina scam artist picked up by police
Jayson Wing
NILES --A
former member of the Michigan National Guard is suspected of a scam to collect
money and rescue gear to help hurricane victims. Dressed in army fatigues,
31-year-old Jayson Wing of South Bend was arrested
for having a concealed weapon. What wasn't concealed was in the back seat
of the car he was in; about a half dozen boxes and tubes, all labeled for the
"United States Civil Relief Services. "Michigan
State Police found homemade donation boxes inside a car they
stopped Monday night for a traffic violation. Police on Tuesday may have
interrupted a Katrina scam by three National Guard impostors whose disregard of
spell check may have hastened their discovery. During a 3 a.m. EDT traffic
stop, Michigan State Police from the Niles post became suspicious of the men
who were transporting collection containers for Katrina victims. Two of the men
wore military clothing, and their boxes, while looking legitimate, carried the
name of a fictitious federal agency and included noticeable misspellings of the
words "Louisiana" and "personnel. "Typewritten
notices on the boxes sought donations for "Louisanna"
that would be collected by "military personel
only," said 1st Lt. Michael Brown. They found all the donation
boxes in the vehicle and two people dressed-up in camouflage like military
uniforms,” said Lt. Michael Brown, Michigan State Police. One of the men, Wing,
was a member of the Michigan National Guard, but hasn't been since April of
last year. He claimed the men were collecting money and a whole list of things
to help hurricane victims; bolt cutters, chain saws, axes, and even air
compressors. (13/9/05 – wund.com & southbendtribune.com)
