Montco Woman Sentenced To Jail For Stealing $1.7 Million In FEMA Relief: Feds

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA — A Montgomery County woman has been sentenced to five years in prison after stealing some $1.7 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency relief after Hurricane Ida, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

Jasmine Williams, 34, of Plymouth Meeting, had pleaded guilty to major disaster declaration fraud, 24 counts of wire fraud, and seven counts of mail fraud in Sept. 2025.

The incident occurred back in Sept. 2021 after a disaster was declared in the wake of Ida, allowing the federal government to provide emergency financial assistance to victims whose homes were damaged.

Williams "recruited" victims over social media, claiming she could help them to apply for FEMA benefits, the U.S. Attorney's Office found.

She submitted fraudulent documents on behalf of dozens of actual victims of the hurricane, creating fake leases, utility bills, letters from landlords, and home repair estimates, officials said.

In exchange for "helping" the victims, she took half of the money they received for herself, for a total of $1.7 million in stolen funds, according to the US Attorney.

FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security partnered on the investigation, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth Mandelbaum and S. Chandler Harris.