Published 12:03 am Saturday, August 1, 2015
NEW ORLEANS, LA
A St. Charles Parish woman faces 20 years in jail after an
indictment claims she fraudulently collected more than $30,000 in relief
following the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in 2010, authorities
said.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced Melissa Ann Duran,
42, of Des Allemands, was charged Thursday in a one-count indictment with mail
fraud.
According to court documents, Polite said the Gulf Coast
Claims Facility made disaster assistance money available to individuals and
businesses impacted by the oil spill resulting from the Deepwater Horizon
explosion that occurred April 20, 2010.
On Aug. 23, 2010, Duran applied for disaster assistance
funds, claiming she lost income due to the oil spill. Polite said Duran
represented she worked in seafood processing for a commercial fisherman for two
years before the oil spill.
However, Duran had never worked as a seafood
processor for the stated commercial fisherman, and she submitted or caused to
be submitted false documentation to establish her false earnings.
Duran received approximately $33,800 to which she was not
entitled, Polite said.
If convicted, Duran faces 20 years in jail, a $250,000 fine,
three years of supervised release following imprisonment and a $100 special
assessment.
Polite praised the work of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation in investigating this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Spiro G. Latsis is in charge of the
prosecution.
Source:: http://www.lobservateur.com/