Courts. (Credit: LevittownNow.com)
An Upper Dublin-area case has drawn headlines after a Montgomery County woman admitted to defrauding the federal government in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, according to a report.
Jasmine Williams, 34, of Plymouth Meeting, pleaded guilty to running a scheme that targeted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). According to court documents, Williams posed as a helper to residents applying for storm recovery aid after Hurricane Ida tore through Pennsylvania and other East Coast states in late summer 2021.
President Joe Biden had authorized FEMA funds to assist residents in Montgomery, Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and York counties who were hardest hit by the storm. Locally, Upper Dublin Township was among the communities most devastated, with neighborhoods left without power, homes destroyed, and a tornado cutting across parts of the township.
Prosecutors say Williams submitted dozens of fraudulent FEMA applications, complete with fake leases, utility bills, landlord letters, income statements, and home repair estimates. More than $1.5 million in federal relief was approved, with Williams pocketing about half for herself.
She was arrested in April 2024 and charged with 31 counts of mail and wire fraud, along with one count of fraud tied to a federal disaster declaration. Williams has since pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing on January 12.
Hurricane Ida left a lasting mark on Montgomery County. The storm killed at least five people in Pennsylvania—most of them in Montco—and caused widespread flooding and power outages. In Upper Dublin alone, thousands lost electricity, and the tornado carved a path of destruction that residents are still reminded of today.
