LOS ANGELES – Two San Fernando Valley residents are expected to be arraigned in federal court Monday after they were charged with using the Hurricane Katrina disaster to lure donations in a charity scam.
The pair were charged Friday with one count of impersonating a Red Cross worker to fraudulently collect money for their own use. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison.
On Thursday, they allegedly wore fake Red Cross badges as they sat at a table outside a Best Buy store in Burbank, Calif. Atop the table was a money collection box and a sign that read: “American Red Cross-Hurricane Disaster,” according to a charging document.
Burbank police officers questioned them after noticing the laminated badges they were wearing appeared to be poorly made. They were arrested after they giving police conflicting stories about what they were doing.
“This may appear to be a small case, but the federal government wants people to know when they donate that their hard-earned dollars are going to people who need it most, and not into the pocket of thieves,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellyn Lindsay.
If criminals are going to “try and capitalize on the misery in the Gulf Coast, we will track them down,” she said.
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