FEDERAL JURY IN SAN ANGELO, TEXAS, CONVICTS
WOMAN FOR DEFRAUDING U.S. GOVERNMENT OF MORE THAN $30,000
FOLLOWING HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA

SAN ANGELO, Texas - A federal jury in San Angelo deliberated just one and one half hours before convicting former San Angelo resident, Sandra K. Howell, 53, on various offenses related to a scheme she ran to defraud the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) of approximately $23,000 and the Department of Labor (DOL) of approximately $7000 in disaster-related benefits following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas.
Specifically, the jury found Howell guilty of one count of conspiracy, one count of making false claims, seven counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud and one count of theft of government funds. She faces a maximum statutory sentence of 200 years in prison, a $3 million fine and restitution. U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings, who presided over the trial, ordered a pre-sentence investigation with sentencing to be scheduled after that investigation is completed. Howell was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Howell's two co-defendants, Charles J. Chaisson, 44, and Gregory J. Chaisson, 46, each pled guilty in September and October 2007. Charles J. Chaisson, who pled guilty to one count of making false claims and aiding and abetting, was sentenced last month to 12 months in prison and ordered to pay $3956.64 in restitution. Gregory J. Chaisson pled guilty to theft of government property and aiding and abetting and was sentenced earlier this month to 36 months in prison and ordered to pay $1250 in restitution. Gregory Chaisson was Howell's fiancé and Charles Chaisson is his brother.

The government presented evidence at trial that on Friday, September 23, 2005, the day Hurricane Rita made landfall on the Gulf Coast, Howell arrived in San Angelo, Texas, from Lafayette, Louisiana. She was accompanied by Charles J. Chaisson. At that time, Gregory J. Chaisson was in jail in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. Upon his release from jail on January 17, 2006, Gregory J. Chaisson traveled to San Angelo and resided with Howell.

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Howell and Charles J. Chaisson conspired together to defraud FEMA of approximately $30,000 by falsely making claims to FEMA that they were victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Howell claimed that her primary residence in New Orleans was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and both Howell and Chaisson made false claims that their residence in Lafayette, Louisiana, was damaged by Hurricane Rita. In addition, they both made false claims for disaster relief on behalf of Gregory Chaisson, falsely stating that his primary residence was also damaged by Hurricane Rita.
The government presented evidence however that Howell was not residing in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29, 2005. During 2005, Howell resided in an apartment in Lafayette, Louisiana, until she was evicted at the end of August 2005. Further, neither Howell nor Charles J. Chaisson nor Gregory J. Chaisson had established residency at the address in Lafayette, Louisiana, which each claimed sustained damages from Hurricane Rita.
Howell and the Chaisson brothers made false claims to Concho Valley Workforce Solutions, a San Angelo-based organization that received and disbursed emergency relief funds for hurricane evacuees through a grant from DOL. As a result of Howell and the Chaisson brothers falsely portraying themselves as Hurricane Katrina evacuees, Concho Valley Workforce Solutions disbursed approximately $7000 for their benefit.

In September 2005, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force, designed to deter, investigate and prosecute disaster-related federal crimes such as charity fraud, identity theft, procurement fraud and insurance fraud. The Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force - chaired by Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division - includes members from the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, the Postal Inspector's Office and the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, among others.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts in this case of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security - Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Department of Labor - Office of the Inspector General, and the San Angelo Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann C. Roberts and Scott Frost of the Lubbock Office of the U.S. Attorney's Office.