R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Michael S. Clemens, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced today the Indictment and arrest of defendant, Gary S. Kraser, for fraudulently soliciting charitable donations supposedly intended for humanitarian relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Kraser was charged with four counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.
According to Indictment, Kraser falsely claimed in conversations on the Internet, and ultimately via the website at http://www.AirKatrina.com, that he was piloting flights to Louisiana to provide medical supplies to the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and to evacuate children and others in critical medical condition. Kraser further claimed that he had organized a group of Florida pilots to assist him in his supposed relief efforts.
In one fraudulent Internet communication posted on August 30, 2005, Kraser pretended to have returned from Louisiana, and wrote, "I am shaking as I write this, as I just arrived home, and just now allowed my body and mind to accept what I saw tonight... I am crying as I read this... I saw people on their roofs, that had used axes more than likely to cut through the roof, waving at us, as they thought we were Air Rescue... I saw dogs wrapped in electrical lines still alive and sparks flying from their bodies being electrocuted, as well as some people dead already. If I had a helicopter, I would be there now rather than back in FL... I'm so sorry I couldn't do more... I'm crying and hugging my dog next to me now... I will hear these screams for the rest of my life..." [Read more - US Newswire]
[For more information and articles about Identity Theft go to: Online Credit Card Fraud Prevention]
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