Man convicted for stolen FEMA trailer

Published 12:00 am Sunday, May 31, 2009

ALEXANDRIA (AP) — A federal jury in Alexandria has convicted a Louisiana man of receiving a stolen FEMA trailer after Hurricane Katrina.

Friday’s conviction of 49-year-old James Simpson of Jonesville follows a guilty plea last week in a related case against Robert Dibenedetto, who admitted he stole two FEMA trailers.

Investigators were acting on an anonymous tip when they discovered one of the stolen trailers on Simpson’s property in Catahoula Parish in January 2006.

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Prosecutors say there was no record of Simpson receiving any benefits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency after the August 2005 storm.

Sentencing for both men is set for Sept. 18.