Montgomery County Woman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Defrauding FEMA of Over $1.7 Million in Hurricane Ida Disaster Benefits

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Jasmine Williams, 34, of Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to five years in prison by United States District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge for a scheme to defraud the Federal Emergency Management Agency ("FEMA") in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

Williams was charged by indictment in April 2024 with one count of fraud related to a major disaster declaration, 24 counts of wire fraud, and seven counts of mail fraud. She pleaded guilty to all 32 charges in September of last year.

As presented in court filings, in September 2021, President Joseph R. Biden issued a major disaster declaration for much of the eastern part of Pennsylvania, after the remnants of Hurricane Ida struck the Commonwealth. This declaration authorized FEMA to provide financial assistance to residents whose homes and properties were damaged by the hurricane.

As further detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, Williams recruited others over social media, advertising that she could assist them in applying for FEMA benefits. Court filings show that Williams solicited participants in her scheme, whether they were renters, owners, or homeless. Williams then submitted fraudulent documents to FEMA on behalf of almost 200 others, including fraudulent leases, letters from landlords, utility bills, earning statements, and home repair estimates.

In exchange, Williams requested half of the payout for herself, amassing hundreds of thousands of dollars. When one participant did not pay, Williams took to social media, posting the participant's personally identifiable information and an extended video criticizing her for not paying the 50% Williams charged. Williams also used social media to solicit images of damaged homes to submit in support of the fraudulent applications.

In total, the Court determined that FEMA paid $1,744,982.64 in assistance based on false representations made by Williams from October 2021 through March 2023.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, with assistance from FEMA Fraud Prevention and Investigations, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth Mandelbaum and S. Chandler Harris.