Gulfport Mayor is Indicted on Katrina Fraud Charges

Gulfport,MS Mayor Brent Warr

A federal grand jury has indicted the mayor of Gulfport and his wife on charges of Katrina fraud. The indictment is the latest to emerge from joint investigations by both state and federal agencies. MPB's Phoebe Judge reports.

The sixteen count grand jury indictment claims that Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr and his wife stole government funds and committed insurance fraud when they applied for and received disaster assistance to help with repairs to a home that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. They have pleaded not guilty to all counts. The indictment deals directly with the Homeowner Grant program that was established after Katrina. What’s in dispute is whether the home which the Warr’s received assistance for was their primary residence, one of the requirements of the program. Mississippi State Auditor Stacey Pickering says the law applies to everyone,

“We all are accountable to the taxpayers of the state of Mississippi and we have to abide by the law that is on the books. So as long as we keep that perspective in the work that we do in the state auditor’s office we have no problem sleeping at night or looking at ourselves in the mirror.”

Ryan Lafontaine spokesmen for the city of Gulfport, says despite the indictment things will continue as usual,

“The mayor has indicated that he has every intention of coming to work tomorrow, and every day after that, as the mayor of Gulfport.”

If convicted on all sixteen counts, the Warr's could each potentially face up to 210 years in prison and up to 4 million dollars in fines. For MPB News, I’m Phoebe Judge in Gulfport.