$1.74Mpaid out by FEMA on one recruiter's fabricated Hurricane Ida paperwork
A Pennsylvania woman recruited nearly 200 people through social media to file fake Hurricane Ida FEMA claims, netting $1,744,982.64 in federal disaster aid before she was sentenced to 5 years.
Jasmine Williams built each fraudulent application herself, fake leases, forged landlord letters, falsified utility bills, and demanded half of whatever FEMA approved as her fee, using intimidation to collect it. She pleaded guilty to all 32 counts and was sentenced in January 2026.
Source: MyChesCo. Read more: fema disaster assistance fraud · case file