Georgia Woman Found Guilty in FEMA Disaster Aid Fraud

Federal prosecutors say a metro Atlanta, Ga., woman has pleaded guilty to her involvement in a scheme to defraud the federal government of disaster relief money.

Authorities said Tuesday that 45-year-old Angela Pratt Avery of Lawrenceville pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining Federal Emergency Management Agency money that was mean for victims whose property was damaged during Hurricane Ike in 2008. The storm caused widespread damage along coastal areas in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida.

Prosecutors say Avery and two co-defendants filed three fraudulent FEMA claims together between September 2008 and January 2009. Authorities say Avery and her co-conspirators told federal officials they lived at a Galveston, Texas address when the storm hit and damaged their property.

Officials say the three actually lived in Norcross and received $50,000 from FEMA.