A woman from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to five years in prison for leading a fraud scheme that defrauded the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of nearly $1.75 million. The conviction of Jasmine Williams, 34, was announced by federal prosecutors on October 18, 2023, following her guilty plea to 32 federal charges associated with her fraudulent activities after Hurricane Ida struck in 2021.
Williams was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge. She had pleaded guilty in September to multiple counts, including one count of fraud related to a major disaster declaration, 24 counts of wire fraud, and seven counts of mail fraud. The criminal activity reportedly began after President Joseph R. Biden issued a disaster declaration for eastern Pennsylvania, which allowed FEMA to provide financial assistance to individuals whose properties were affected by the hurricane.
The scheme involved Williams recruiting participants via social media, falsely promising them assistance in obtaining FEMA benefits. Court documents indicate that she targeted a broad demographic, including renters, homeowners, and even individuals experiencing homelessness. She submitted fraudulent applications on behalf of these participants, which included fake leases, forged letters from landlords, falsified utility bills, and fabricated income statements.
In return for her services, Williams demanded half of any FEMA payout, leading to her collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars. Prosecutors outlined that she employed intimidation tactics to ensure compliance, which included publicly disclosing personal information about participants who resisted payment and releasing a lengthy social media video criticizing an individual for not paying her share.
In an effort to bolster her fraudulent claims, Williams solicited photographs of damaged homes through online channels. These images were then submitted to FEMA as part of her deceptive documentation. The court found that from October 2021 to March 2023, FEMA disbursed $1,744,982.64 in disaster assistance based on the misleading information provided by Williams.
The investigation into this fraud case was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, with significant support from FEMA’s Fraud Prevention and Investigations division. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ruth Mandelbaum and S. Chandler Harris. U.S. Attorney David Metcalf emphasized the case as a stark example of disaster fraud that exploits federal aid intended for genuine storm victims.
