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Jacksonville man gets 2 years for lying to get hurricane damage money

Associated Press

Tags: Jacksonville
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(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)
(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)
(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)
(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)
(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)
Jacksonville flooding Monday, Sept. 11, 2017 (Photo: Kyle Caldabaugh and Lee Holt - Level Exposure)
Jacksonville flooding Monday, Sept. 11, 2017 (Photo: Kyle Caldabaugh and Lee Holt - Level Exposure)
Glynn Avenue and St. Simons Causeway Monday, Sept. 11, 2017 (Photo: City of Brunswick, Georgia, Police Department)
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Flood waters from Hurricane Irma riase on a house on Black Creek.
Flooding in downtown Waycross, Ga. in the wake of Irma.
Storm surge from Hurricane Irma
Hurricane Irma storm surge flooding the St. Johns River
A building severely damaged by Hurricane Irma
A downed tree on Edgewood Avenue in the city's Avondale neighborhood
Flooding on LaSalle Street
Flooding on LaSalle Street in San Marco
Flooding on San Juan Boulevard
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Viewer photo of a tree uprooted by Hurricane Irma
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Hurricane Irma storm surge
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A blown over tree in Jacksonville Beach
Boulder Street in San marco
A blown over tree in Murray Hill caused by Hurricane Irma
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Before and after photos of flooding from Goodbys Creek
Tree damage from Hurricane Irma on Holiday Hill Court
Flooding in Ortega
A downed tree on Interstate 95
A downed tree in Madarin
A downed tree in Arlington
Flooding at the San Marco I-95 South exit ramp
Flooding in the Ortega area
A downed tree on Interstate 95
Flooding in Marsh Landing
Flooding in Marsh Landing
A tree brought down by Hurricane Irma
The entrance to The Woods subdivision on Atlantic Boulevard is blocked by trees
Tree snaps in Jacksonville Beach Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017
Sign in Family Dollar strip mall blown down.
A tree crashed down on the dugout at Murray Hill Park on Kingsbury St. where the Murray Hill Athletic Association Bab Ruth league teams play. It is accross from Ruth N. Upson Elemntary School.
Downed tree limb on Runnymeade Road in Jacksonville's Brierwood area (Photo: Adam Lauwaert)
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Jacksonville Beach Pier Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 (Photo: Eric Pardee via Facebook)
Whitey's fish camp Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 (Photo: Steve Stephens)
South Prong Black Creek Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 (Photo: John Keene)
South Prong Black Creek Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 (Photo: John Keene)
Boat ramp on Pottsburg Creek at Beach and Grove Park boulevards Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 (Photo: Lisa Frisby via Facebook)
Tree falls on house on Beacon Drive West in Jacksonville Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 (Photo: Theresa Mcgee)
Seaboard Avenue on Jacksonville's Westside -- Evacuation Zone A -- Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 (Photo: Jacksonville Sheriff's Office via Twitter)
Tree down on Mandarin Road Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 (Photo: Freida Platt McMillan via Facebook)
Laurel Oaks neighborhood across from Trinity Baptist Church on Hammond Boulevard Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017
Laurel Oaks neighborhood across from Trinity Baptist Church on Hammond Boulevard Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017
Broward River on the Northside in the San Mateo neighborhood rises quickly Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 (Photo: Jennifer via Facebook)
Palm tree down on Seminole Road and 18th Street in Atlantic Beach Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017
Viewer photo from Atlantic Beach
Viewer photo of flooding in Davis Shores
Viewer photo of a fallen tree on a home in the Rolling Hills area on the city's Westside
(Courtesy: Christina King) Storm damage in Arlington
Viewer photo of the Black Creek in Clay County
Viewer photo of a downed tree near the Black Creek in Clay County
Viewer photo of a fallen tree on a home on Beacon Drive West
Image courtesy Gene Nichols: Downed tree on Ortega Forest Dr.

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Florida man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for lying about damage caused by Hurricane Irma in order to receive disaster relief money.

Deontre Javan Taylor, 27, was sentenced Friday in Jacksonville federal court, according to court records. Besides the prison time, he was also ordered to repay money the he received from the federal government. Taylor pleaded guilty in June to disaster assistance fraud.

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According to court documents, Taylor claimed that his Jacksonville home was damaged by Hurricane Irma in a September 2017 application for disaster assistance benefits to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He stated that storm surge flooded his home, and lightning caused a power surge that resulted in a loss of power. Taylor claimed that he moved to a hotel and needed housing assistance, which led to FEMA paying him $8,038.19.

Investigators later determined that Taylor hadn't actually lived at the home since at least 2015 and that the home didn't suffer storm surge damage or power loss during Hurricane Irma.

Hurricane Irma struck Florida in September 2017, causing about $50 billion in damage throughout the state.

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