NEW ORLEANS,LA—
A Louisiana man has pleaded guilty to a
charge he fraudulently received more than $119,000 in federal grant
money after Hurricane Katrina.Federal prosecutors said 62-year-old Thomas Steele was living in Las Vegas when Katrina hit in August 2005 and wasn't entitled to a grant from the state's Road Home program for repairing a home in Belle Chasse because the latter property wasn't his primary residence.
Steele faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison following his guilty plea Friday to one count of making false statements to a federal agency. His sentencing is set for Feb. 24.
