Well, this is great. Apparently, the Government Accountability Office found major misuses of funds meant for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita victims.
The government doled out as much as $1.4 billion in bogus assistance to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, getting hoodwinked to pay for season football tickets, a tropical vacation and even a divorce lawyer, congressional investigators have found.
The GAO concluded that as much as 16 percent of the billions of dollars in FEMA help to individuals after the two hurricanes was unwarranted.
The findings are detailed in testimony, obtained by The Associated Press, that is to be delivered at a hearing Wednesday by the House Homeland Security subcommittee on investigations.
To dramatize the problem, GAO provided lawmakers with a copy of a $2,358 U.S. Treasury check for rental assistance that an undercover agent got using a bogus address. The money was paid even after FEMA learned from its inspector that the undercover applicant did not live at the address.
A few of the other things bought with the money:
--70 days at a Hawaiian hotel
--a sex change operation
--adult erotica products in Houston and "Girls Gone Wild" videos
--Dom Perignon champagne and other alcoholic beverages
It's always nice to know that there are those who just wait for opportunities like Katrina and Rita to prey on the misfortunes of others! It seems to be turning into the American Dream as of late.
Tags: [Government Accountability Office], [FEMA], [as much as $1.4 billion in bogus assistance to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita], [Homeland Security], [Rep. Michael McCaul], [GAO finds mismanagement of hurricane aid]
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