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Joplin Woman Sentenced for Disaster Fraud
In a shocking case of disaster fraud, Brittany Aulden Barnes, 24, of Joplin, Missouri, has been sentenced to two years and four months in federal prison without parole for her role in stealing over $18,000 in disaster benefits following the devastating tornado that struck Joplin on May 22, 2011.
According to court documents, Barnes admitted to fraudulently receiving disaster benefits by claiming that her residence in Joplin had been damaged by the tornado. However, investigators found that the apartment stood vacant on the date of the tornado, and Barnes had moved out before the disaster struck. She had rented the apartment prior to the tornado and had occupied it with her boyfriend, Russell Lamar Green, but they had both moved out before the tornado.
Barnes was awarded $6,708 in disaster relief, and she also resided at a FEMA-provided mobile home for over a year, from September 2011 to December 2012, at a total cost to FEMA of $12,066. In a separate but related case, Green pleaded guilty and has been sentenced for making false statements to FEMA in a failed effort to also receive disaster benefits.
Additionally, Barnes was found guilty of aggravated identity theft, using a co-worker’s stolen wallet to impersonate the victim on several occasions. She stole a co-worker’s wallet while working at an Applebee’s restaurant in Joplin in May 2013, which contained the victim’s Missouri driver’s license, Social Security card, debit card, and three credit cards. Barnes used the stolen identity documents to make several purchases, including a $269 Sony Playstation game console at Best Buy and cashing three counterfeit $598 payroll checks at two Wal-Mart stores.
Barnes pleaded guilty to one count of disaster fraud and one count of identity theft on August 14, 2014. She will also have to pay $18,774 in restitution to FEMA and $2,094 in restitution to her identity theft victims.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich and investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and the Joplin, Missouri, Police Department. Anyone with information about disaster fraud related to the Joplin tornado should call the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 866-720-5721, the Joplin Police Department at 417-623-3131, or the FBI’s Joplin office at 417-206-5700.
Mandatory Facts:
- Defendant: Brittany Aulden Barnes
- Criminal Charges: Aggravated Identity Theft and Disaster Fraud
- City and State: Joplin, Missouri
- Date: August 14, 2014 (plea), May 22, 2011 (tornado)
- Sentence: Two years and four months in federal prison without parole
- Dollar Amounts: $18,774 (restitution to FEMA), $2,094 (restitution to identity theft victims)
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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