FEMA Katrina funds spent on divorce, sex change, booze, season tix

[CoachC.]

Among the items purchased with the cards:

_An all-inclusive, one-week Caribbean vacation in the Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic.

_Five season tickets to New Orleans Saints professional football games.

_Adult erotica products in Houston and "Girls Gone Wild" videos in Santa Monica, Calif.

_Dom Perignon champagne and other alcoholic beverages in San Antonio.

By LARRY MARGASAK,
Associated Press Writer

Houston divorce lawyer Mark Lipkin says he can't recall anyone paying for his services with a FEMA debit card, but congressional investigators say one of his clients did just that.

The $1,000 payment was just one example cited in an audit that concluded that up to $1.4 billion — perhaps as much as 16 percent of the billions of dollars in assistance expended after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita — was spent for bogus reasons.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency also was hoodwinked to pay for season football tickets, a tropical vacation and a sex change operation, the audit found. Prison inmates, a supposed victim who used a New Orleans cemetery for a home address and a person who spent 70 days at a Hawaiian hotel all were able to get taxpayer help, according to evidence that gives a new black eye to the nation's disaster relief agency.

"I do Katrina victims all the time," Lipkin, the divorce attorney, told The Associated Press. "I didn't know anybody did that with me. I don't think it's right, obviously."

Government Accountability Office officials were testifying before a House committee Wednesday on their findings.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the subcommittee overseeing an investigation of post-hurricane aid, called the bogus spending "an assault on the American taxpayer."

"Prosecutors from the federal level down should be looking at prosecuting these crimes and putting the criminals who committed them in jail for a long time," he said.

More here..... (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/my/today/fema_funds_spent_on_divorce_sex_change;_ylt=AphZB4 54c5TuDWWa4VFvGX8L1vAI/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060614/ap_on_go_co/katrina_fraud)

[sukie]

Couldn't see this coming? What did you expect the funds to be use for Food and Shelter?... Well the Hawaiian trip is food and shelter.

[CoachC.]

Couldn't see this coming? What did you expect the funds to be use for Food and Shelter?....

No......that would be too responsible.

[Gibby]

Okay, so people took advantage of this horrible situation and somehow it wasn't limited to just corrupt politicians who spoke in Jackson Square to boost their devestated approval ratings. That being said, I think that we have to ensure, unlike what the rightwing nutjob Rev. Robertson says, that FEMA still sends out funds to help the poor and needy because sorry faith based initiative people -though we did a lot more than the government- we just don't have the tools to take on such a huge task.

On another level, hey you lost your house and the man has stuck it to you for so long. Go ahead go to Hawaii, save your football team by buying season tix, and get some good internet porn.

Although it was wrong for the government to be defrauded as it hurts my pocket book, I don't begrudge some of the people for attacking the swindlers and profiteers in government. So they stole 1.5 Billion, last I checked our middle east excursion has cost us more than 285 billion. Cheney and co. embezzled almost 10 billion dollars from Haliburton contracts in Iraq. Then there is Ted Stevens' bridge to nowhere that cost another couple of billions, and all other sorts of shit that I don't want to know about that have cost trillions. The size of government has boomed to unprecedented levels. FEMA failed the people of NO in their darkest hour. We bitch about 1.5 billion, hell I'm happy for the people that beat the system. I just think its funny that we have politicians and the theocrats who support them- Robertson, Falwell etc... who have splurged more than 5 trillion while cutting the money flow needed to pay for the spending and bitch because some less than honest joe sixpacks managed to swipe 1.5 Billion. **** you politicians, kudos to you joe sixpacks.

[nehemiah]

:popcorn:

it will be interesting to watch this thread unfold.

[Ru]

Yeah, I'm not sure what they expected when they gave out "free money" to thousands of people with no accountability of where it went or who got what card.

[Gibby]

Yeah, I'm not sure what they expected when they gave out "free money" to thousands of people with no accountability of where it went or who got what card.

I agree, I just wish I could have gotten some money. This is just one more case how the Democrats are paradoxically the party of fiscal and moral responsibility. Don't believe me watch Pat Robertson sometime.

[Ru]

Don't believe me watch Pat Robertson sometime.

No that's okay. If I'm going to watch a mentally ill person on TV, he/she at least needs to be entertaining.

[Gibby]

No that's okay. If I'm going to watch a mentally ill person on TV, he/she at least needs to be entertaining.

This is true.

[uppy]

Like him or hate him....Pat Robertson does make a good point from time to time.

[pmoon6]

Like him or hate him....Pat Robertson does make a good point from time to time.When?

[Gibby]

When?

I was going to ask that.

[uppy]

Off hand I can't think of any....LOL

[Gibby]

Off hand I can't think of any....LOL

my point exactly.

[coastal]

AWESOME.

They deserve a lot more too.

[Mouldsie]

This is an assult on the american taxpayer... yes....


but so is Congress

[Gibby]

This is an assult on the american taxpayer... yes....


but so is Congress

exactly

[JLB]

This is an assult on the american taxpayer... yes....


but so is Congress

Yes investigate and throw the proven wrongdoers in jail !!
I have no loyalties here.
This is typical political gettin caught with your hand or hands where they do not belong screw all of them.

[nehemiah]

does anyone know if there were specific restrictions put on spending when those cards were handed out?

[uppy]

does anyone know if there were specific restrictions put on spending when those cards were handed out?

said the ACLU

[nehemiah]

said the ACLUthanks for the response. [:::]

anyone have anything of substance to post re: my question?

[JLB]

does anyone know if there were specific restrictions put on spending when those cards were handed out?

No I don't.

[uppy]

thanks for the response. [:::]

anyone have anything of substance to post re: my question?


What were the hand-out for my king? these people were homeless ...one
would hope thay would use the money to provide for their familys in a
time of hardship and not piss it away in a strip joint.

[nehemiah]

What were the hand-out for my king? these people were homeless ...one
would hope thay would use the money to provide for their familys in a
time of hardship and not piss it away in a strip joint.it's not illegal unless they break the law. it's not worth bitchin' about if they didn't break the regulations.

unless, of course, certain people would like to use this as an avenue to express the more _unsavory_ aspects of their personalities.

duh.

[sukie]

Nehemiah. there were no restrictions... it was a federal party time gift... What was it , $1,000.00 debit cards? I knew this was what the result would be.

[nehemiah]

i know. can't trust those types of people, eh? ;)

oy vey.

[sukie]

It's not a matter of trust. I knew the cards were a bad idea.

[Gibby]

It's not a matter of trust. I knew the cards were a bad idea.

I will cut the BA just a little slack on this one. They really ****ed this situation up by doing nothing to respond to the hurricane and the evacuation and disaster relief plans failed at all levels of government from municipal to federal. This is one more instance about how the BA proves the old adage true that "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

That being said I'm not going to bitch about 1.5 Billion given in a time of sympathy before I raise alarm about 285 Billion in a futile and needless war in Iraq, billions spent by Stevens and congressmen of both parties on pork projects, tens of billion swindled from war profiteers in the ongoing occupation of Iraq, money spent by NASA. This government has found a way to squander more than 5 Trillion dollars. I am a lot more pissed about this than a billion.

[uppy]

it's not illegal unless they break the law. it's not worth bitchin' about if they didn't break the regulations.

unless, of course, certain people would like to use this as an avenue to express the more _unsavory_ aspects of their personalities.

duh.

Stop with the race bait stuff my king....and tell me what the cards were for.
The American people gave them a gift to help get their lifes toghter as we should.

[sukie]

Uppy , did you get a card after the flooding? No... shoulda dumbed down and acted more "needy"

[nehemiah]

i'm not baiting you, upstart. you have shown a pretty consistent hatred of the poor and unfortunate.

i just fail to see why this is a story.

[sukie]

I think government subsidised season tickets and penis/vagina constructive surgry is a holsom investment of our tax dollars. I think they should surcharge the rich just for the cost of artificial coochie.

[nehemiah]

i think your morals should be the determinant of what people should spend money on.

[sukie]

I am saying I new this was a stupid idea. They did not deserve a grand.