15 Arrested in New York for Sept. 11 Fund Scams
Wed Jun 19, 5:05 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fifteen more people were arrested on Wednesday for claiming money meant for the victims and families of the World Trade Center attack in the latest roundup of "charity chiselers," prosecutors said.
The 15 were arrested and charged with crimes including grand larceny, falsifying business records and offering false instruments for filing. Four of the defendants are New York City Housing Authority employees who falsely claimed to have lost their government job as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks. Others claimed they lost their job in the private sector.
Calling those arrested "charity chiselers," District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said, "We want to get the message out that if you steal from charities and you get caught, you will be prosecuted."
If convicted, they each face up to seven years in prison.
Seventy-six people have been previously charged with similar crimes, said Morgenthau. Between them, the 91 people charged in charity scam cases have allegedly stolen nearly $1 million from the American Red Cross ( news - web sites), Safe Horizon, the Salvation Army, the Social Security Administration ( news - web sites) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency ( news - web sites) (FEMA), he added.
The group arrested on Wednesday were charged with false claims totaling $52,724.
The 91 come from the New York metropolitan area, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Texas, Utah and China. |
