JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man is accused of defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of a hurricane – not once, not twice, but three times.
Lepoleon Spikes, 46, was recently indicted on five counts of wire fraud after he provided bogus information on disaster assistance applications to FEMA, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The fraud counts carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison a piece. Prosecutors also are seeking a money judgment against Spikes totaling $57,689.
DOCUMENTS: Indictment against Lepoleon Spikes
According to Spikes’ indictment, he received more than $20,000 in aid after claiming his home was damaged by Hurricane Irma. A year before that, he got $12,000 after Hurricane Matthew. In 2013, he received nearly $25,000 after reporting damage from Tropical Storm Debby.
Spikes was arrested Wednesday and made his first appearance in court. The case is tentatively scheduled to go to trial on Dec. 3.