Samuel Thomas Lanier, Major Fraud Against the United States, California 2023

FEMA Grant Funds Siphoned Off by Siskiyou County Man

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Samuel Thomas Lanier, 40, of Dunsmuir, California, has been charged with seven counts of major fraud against the United States after allegedly stealing over $500,000 in FEMA grant funds intended for firefighting training.

According to court documents, Lanier, an owner or executive of two companies in Dunsmuir, was hired by the Siskiyou and Shasta County Fire Chiefs Associations to administer grants from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program. The program, which awarded grants of over $1 million each to the fire associations, aimed to ensure communities have adequate protection from fire-related hazards and to help the recipients attain and maintain 24-hour staffing.

Between June 2013 and March 2018, Lanier allegedly submitted false reimbursement requests to FEMA, seeking and obtaining reimbursement for goods and services that were not actually obtained on behalf of the fire associations. This scheme resulted in a gross loss to the United States of over $500,000.

The case is the product of an investigation by the Major Frauds & Corruption Unit of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Schuller Hitchcock is prosecuting the case.

Lanier has agreed to plead guilty to the charges and faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine. The actual sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The U.S. Attorney's Office emphasized that fraud perpetrated against FEMA is detrimental to the nation's infrastructure and safety, especially from programs that support front-line firefighters and first responders.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/siskiyou-county-man-charged-major-fraud-against-united-states-taking-fema-grant-funds