This is exactly what happened to the preparedness grant money from the Dept. of Homeland Security as well. Congress should insist on a full accounting of where the money went and they will find it went to the Dem crooks in LA. Not a penny should be released to state and local officials until they show they were responsible for the federal money already given to them for flood prevention. To do otherwise is sending good money after bad.
Ping for later.
"Follow the money, Honey..."
Rule number 1: Cover thy ass.
"I'm shocked that there's gambling going on in this establishment!"
Why am I not surprised?
OK who has it?!! The Pitcure of the guy with "Oh No Not this shit again!!" caption! LOL!!
Now we know why liberals in the media are screaming so loud about Bush and the federal government....they are trying to offer cover for the corruption that went on here.
Is this another part of what the left fears will come out?
I forgot who said it...
LA officials either under water or under indictment...
I read an article the other day that made reference to federal funds for levee maintenance being spent to build a casino and a private marina. Anyone have any solid info on that and a source? Thanks.
November 29, 2004
(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
THREE STATE OFFICIALS INDICTED FOR
OBSTRUCTING FEDERAL AUDIT
Shreveport, Louisiana . . . A federal grand jury has returned two separate indictments charging three members of the State Military Department with offenses related to the obstruction of an audit of the use of federal funds for flood mitigation activities throughout Louisiana, United States Attorney Donald W. Washington announced today.
Two of the individuals charged, MICHAEL C. APPE, 51, of Mandeville, Louisiana, and MICHAEL L. BROWN, 61, of St. Francisville, Louisiana, are senior employees of the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Both APPE and BROWN are charged with conspiracy to obstruct a federal audit; BROWN is additionally charged with making a false statement.
The Hazardous Mitigation Grant Program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is designed to fund mitigation projects to prevent future flood losses or flood claims made upon the National Flood Insurance Program. BROWN was responsible for overall management the program in Louisiana; APPE was responsible for managing employees who perform fiscal transactions regarding these funds.
The indictment alleges that during an audit of the program being conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Office of Inspector General, a State Military Department employee realized that $175,000 in expenditures of federal monies was improper in that the money was not used for purposes authorized by the federal program and would therefore have to be re-paid to the federal government. This employee notified APPE, who in turn directed the employee to provide false documents to the federal auditors.
Specifically, the indictment alleges that APPE directed an employee to contact an assistant to BROWN and have them prepare a false, backdated memo to make it appear that the expenditures were proper. The false document was created and was subsequently signed by BROWN. APPE and BROWN then sent the false, backdated memo to federal auditors. The indictment alleges that BROWN told federal auditors that he signed the document in May 2000, when in fact he knew he had signed the document in January 2004.
Also indicted was DANIEL J. FALANGA, 53, of Folsom, Louisiana, for committing perjury before a federal grand jury. FALANGA was an employee of the State Military Department in charge of the State Mitigation Office. The indictment charges him with testifying falsely before the grand jury concerning his access to a “repetitive loss list.” The repetitive loss list is a listing of properties that have suffered two or more flood losses in a ten year period.
An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Defendants are entitled to a presumption of innocence under the law, and the government has the burden of proving every element of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Sentencing in federal court is governed by the United States Sentencing Guidelines. Under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, actual sentences are based upon a formula that takes into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, and a defendant’s criminal history, if any. Parole has been abolished in the federal system.
If convicted, APPE and BROWN face a maximum sentence of up to 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, on each count. If convicted, FALANGA will face a maximum penalty of up to 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
This case was investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.
For further information, please contact United States Attorney Donald W. Washington at 337-262-6618 or First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan at 318-676-3600.
This and other press releases issued by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana can be found at our website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/law.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/law/news/wdl20041129.html
ping
Let's see. We have Flood-Money Scam in LA--- The Big Dig in MA... what possibly could be in common...........GOTTA THINK!
November 28, 2001
Mr. William A. Norfolk
Attorney at Law
Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips
P. O. Box 2471
Baton Rouge, LA 70821
Re: Ethics Board Docket No. 2001-686
Dear Mr. Norfolk:
The Louisiana Board of Ethics, at its November 27, 2001 meeting, considered your request for an opinion concerning the propriety of Annette Martinez Melerine contracting with the Military Department after her retirement from that Department. Ms. Melerine’s job description indicates that she is currently employed as the Deputy Director, with responsibilities in the areas of human resources, fiscal, logistics, grants, risk management and office administration. The proposed contract would be for services related to internal controls. Colonel Michael Appe, Ms. Melerine’s supervisor, confirmed by telephone that the contractual duties would be different from the human resources and payroll responsibilities Ms. Melerine currently provides. Colonel Appe explained that the Department lost its full-time employee for these services several years ago due to budget cuts. The position of the quality control employee who assumed the duties was also eliminated. Colonel Appe has attempted to provide the internal control functions. Ms. Melerine has not assisted him in those duties.
The Board concluded, and instructed me to inform you, that no violation of the Code of Governmental Ethics is presented by the facts you described. Section 1121B of the Code prohibits a former public servant, for the two year period following the termination of public service, from contracting with their former agency to perform any service rendered to the agency during the term of public employment. Here, because the services to be performed by Ms. Melerine after her retirement pursuant to the proposed contract are different from the services she provided as an employee, no violation of the Code is presented.
If you have further questions, please call me at (225) 922-1400.
Sincerely,
LOUISIANA BOARD OF ETHICS
Maris LeBlanc McCrory
For the Board
MICHAEL C APPE
Officer of Subsidiary Company
MICHAEL APPE
Declared Holdings
Relationship/Company Reported Shares Value
Officer of Subsidiary Company
Microsoft Corporation
Roster, Transactions N/A
* Indicates shares held indirectly
Transactions (All Holdings)
Date Shares Stock Transactions
06/30/1998 111,750 MSFT Award of Stock
*** Undefined Type ***
The thought crossed my mind today. When will the scams start in New Orleans?
Guess my timing was right on.
Hurricane Pam
snip
Times-Picayune reported that officials were upbeat after completing the hurricane exercise. FEMA Region VI Director, Ron Castleman, and Louisiana’s Emergency Preparedness Department Deputy Director, Col. Michael Brown were quoted as seeing good progress in preparedness. The exercise pointed out areas where work remained to be done and gave the participants the opportunity to evaluate their State capabilities.
"We made great progress this week in our preparedness efforts," said Ron Castleman, FEMA Regional Director. "Disaster response teams developed action plans in critical areas such as search and rescue, medical care, sheltering, temporary housing, school restoration and debris management. These plans are essential for quick response to a hurricane but will also help in other emergencies."
snip
"Hurricane planning in Louisiana will continue," said Colonel Michael L. Brown, Deputy Director for Emergency Preparedness, Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. "Over the next 60 days, we will polish the action plans developed during the Hurricane Pam exercise. We have also determined where to focus our efforts in the future."
A partial summary of action plans follows:
Debris
* The debris team estimates that a storm like Hurricane Pam would result in 30 million cubic yards of debris and 237,000 cubic yards of household hazardous waste
* The team identified existing landfills that have available storage space and locations of hazardous waste disposal sites. The debris plan also outlines priorities for debris removal.
Sheltering
* The interagency shelter group identified the need for about 1,000 shelters for a catastrophic disaster. The shelter team identified 784 shelters and developed plans for locating the remaining shelters. [The Red Cross has stopped providing shelters in New Orleans for hurricanes rated above Category 2, saying they are too dangerous for people to remain in the city. During Katrina, more than 20,000 people went to the city's shelter of last resort, the Louisiana Superdome. Later, the nearby New Orleans Arena provided additional shelter.] ]
* In a storm like Hurricane Pam, shelters will likely remain open for 100 days. The group identified the resources necessary to support 1000 shelters for 100 days. They planned for staff augmentation and how to include shelterees in shelter management.
* State resources were deemed adequate to operate shelters for the first 3-5 days. The group planned how federal and other resources will replenish supplies at shelters.
Search and Rescue
* The search and rescue group developed a transportation plan for getting stranded residents out of harm's way.
* Planners identified lead and support agencies for search and rescue and established a command structure that would include four areas with up to 800 searchers.
Medical
* The medical care group reviewed and enhanced existing plans. The group determined how to implement existing immunization plans rapidly for tetanus, influenza and other diseases likely to be present after a major hurricane.
* The group determined how to re-supply hospitals around the state that would face heavy patient loads.
* The medical action plan included patient movement details and identified probable locations, such as state university campuses, where individuals would receive care and then be transported to hospitals, special needs shelters or regular shelters as necessary.
Schools
* The school group determined that 13,000-15,000 teachers and administrators would be needed to support affected schools. The group acknowledged the role of local school boards and developed strategies for use by local school officials.
* Staffing strategies included the use of displaced teachers, retired teachers, emergency certified teachers and others eligible for emergency certification. Displaced paraprofessionals would also be recruited to fill essential school positions.
* The group discussed facility options for increasing student population at undamaged schools and prioritizing repairs to buildings with less damage to assist in normalizing operations
* The school plan also called for placement or development of temporary schools near temporary housing communities built for hurricane victims.
A second Hurricane Pam Exercise was planned for the summer of 2005, but did not take place, appartently due to a lack of funding. Agencies had anticipated expanding on aspects of response and recovery that were not explored in the 2004 exercise.
The events of hurricane seasons in the 1990s made evacuation one of the leading emergency management issues. Hurricanes Georges in 1998 and Floyd in 1999 precipitated the two largest evacuations in the history of the United States (US) and perhaps, its two largest traffic jams.
Distressingly, the 2004 exercise focused on managing the aftermath of the catastrophe, and did not address initiatitives that would diminish the magnitude of the catastrophe. While repairs to the sagging levees surrounding New Orleans were the province of the Corps of Engineers, not FEMA, improving evacuation and sheltering strategies remained open issues. As a result of the Hurricane Pam Exercise, agencies began applying lessons learned. Those changes included assisting people without transportation. The American Red Cross began developing a program that would ask private citizens to collect people at area churches and transport them.
In Louisiana, the Office of Emergency Preparedness (LOEP) is responsible for developing emergency procedures and coordinating preparedness for hurricanes. The LOEP uses a five-step activation process to transitions from routine activities to responding to a storm. Under routine operation LOEP functions at a Level V Activation status. When a storm strike is imminent the LOEP reaches its highest state of readiness. zones. During a Level I Activation, the LOEP monitors the status of institutional housing and low-mobility groups such as nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons.
A considerable amount of data was collected during the New Orleans evacuation associated with Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. Dr. Jeanne Hurlbert and Dr. John J. Beggs, professors in the Dept. of Sociology at LSU, studied how individuals in the New Orleans area would respond to a major hurricane. Their phone survey excluded those living in households without telephones. Those households are disproportionately poor, minority residents. These individuals are also much more likely than to reside in vulnerable housing. In some parts of the city, the proportion of households that lacks telephones is high — as much as 25%. Based on a 2004 telephone survey [that excluded these households], the LSU professors, found that overall, 68.8% of respondents would leave the area, 9.8% would leave their homes but remain in the area, and 21.4% would remain in their homes. That 21.4% of respondents would remain in their homes is a startling and important statistic, because it indicates that nearly 1 in 4 residents would refuse to leave their homes and 3 in 10 would refuse to leave the area.
The City of New Orleans, with its 1.3 million residents, has limited out-bound route capacities. One of the problems of mandatory evacuations is that they are difficult to enforce. Many people resist being ordered to leave their homes and property by government officials. The number of people without access to transportation in New Orleans, has been estimated as high as 25 to 30 percent of the population. In addition to people without vehicles, potential low mobility evacuees include the indigent, elderly, prisoners, the infirm, and tourists. About 250,000 residents of New Orleans (not including tourists or "special needs" populations) have no means of private transportation. The total number of busses in all of New Orleans would provide only a fraction of the capacity needed to transport all of these people.
Louisiana emergency management officials planned to use any available alternative means of transportation, including National Guard vehicles. They also planned to open local shelters and refuges of last resort for those not able to evacuate.
Terry Tullier, director of the city's Office of Emergency Preparedness, said "I'm always asked what's my worst nightmare, and I talk about the generations of New Orleanians who have no historical reference in their brain about how bad this will be... And when I preach the gospel of evacuation, they won't take it seriously. Evacuation, that's such a tough decision for our officials to make, so once they make that decision, to have people say, 'Ah, I ain't going to go,' that scares me..."