A woman from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to five years in prison for leading a fraudulent scheme that defrauded the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of nearly $1.75 million in disaster aid following Hurricane Ida. Jasmine Williams, 34, of Plymouth Meeting, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge after pleading guilty to a total of 32 federal charges related to the elaborate scheme.
The case stemmed from actions taken in response to the major disaster declaration issued by President Joseph R. Biden in September 2021, which authorized FEMA to provide financial assistance to residents affected by the hurricane. Williams was charged 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 entered her guilty pleas in September.
Court documents reveal that Williams employed social media to recruit individuals who needed assistance in obtaining FEMA benefits. She targeted a range of people, including renters, homeowners, and even those without permanent housing. Williams submitted fraudulent applications on behalf of these individuals, using a variety of falsified documents such as fake leases, forged letters from landlords, altered utility bills, fabricated earnings statements, and bogus home repair estimates. In exchange for her services, Williams demanded half of the FEMA payouts.
Prosecutors indicated that Williams managed to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars through her scheme. She resorted to intimidation tactics to ensure payment, including publicly disclosing a participant’s personal information and posting lengthy videos on social media that criticized individuals who refused to share their payouts with her.
To bolster her fraudulent claims, Williams solicited photographs of damaged homes online. These images were then submitted to FEMA as part of the supporting documentation for her claims. The court determined that between October 2021 and March 2023, FEMA disbursed $1,744,982.64 in disaster assistance based on the false representations made by Williams.
The investigation into this scheme was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, with support from FEMA’s Fraud Prevention and Investigations team. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ruth Mandelbaum and S. Chandler Harris, who emphasized the serious nature of the crime.
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf highlighted the case as a significant example of disaster fraud, particularly in the context of federal aid meant to assist genuine victims of the storm. The case underscores the ongoing efforts to combat fraud in the wake of natural disasters, ensuring that aid reaches those who truly need it.
