NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal task force on Hurricane Katrina fraud says it has brought charges against 907 people since the storm struck the Gulf Coast three years ago.
The Katrina Fraud Task Force announced the tally Wednesday and highlighted some of its recent milestones, including the September 24 sentencing of a man who was charged with pocketing grant and loan money intended to help rebuild the Baptist church where he ministered.
Task force chairman Matthew Friedrich, of the Justice Department, says investigators have screened more than 26,000 complaints of disaster fraud and referred more than 17,000 of them to law enforcement for investigation.
More recently, the task force also has fielded 667 reports of potential Hurricane Gustav-related fraud and roughly 400 complaints regarding potential Hurricane Ike-related fraud.
 
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