The public can rest assured that my office takes heinous acts like stealing from disaster relief funds very seriously and will prosecute each and every case brought to us to the maximum extent of the law.” We take the solemn responsibility of ensuring FEMA dollars are used responsibly and legally. Taylor’s fraud scheme diverted disaster benefits from our most desperate and vulnerable, those most in need of help. Stealing critical FEMA dollars is a crime – literally and figuratively. Too many of our brothers and sisters lost everything. “The floods of June 2016 were historic and devastating to thousands of West Virginians. Stealing from FEMA is a manmade disaster,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. In her plea agreement, Taylor agreed to pay restitution of $18,149.04. Due to her false statements, she received more than $18,000 in FEMA benefits to which she was not entitled. In fact, her primary residence was undamaged, and she still resided there. Taylor claimed that her primary residence was damaged by the flood and that she was staying in a rental unit after the flood. Pamela Taylor, 57, admitted that she falsely registered for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster benefits after the June 2016 flood in Clay County, West Virginia. The case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG) and the West Virginia Commission on Special Investigations.

– A Clay County woman pled guilty yesterday to embezzling over $18,000 in federal FEMA disaster benefits.

Steven tasky