Hey Katrina scammers--the Feds are coming

Can't say this is a surprise. Nevertheless, it's heartening to discover the FBI is just as ticked off as the rest of us:

Forty-nine people have been indicted in a scam to pocket Red Cross hurricane relief funds and more indictments are expected, according to Justice Department officials.

Stories such as this could put a small dent in future disaster donations due to the trust issue, but also perhaps due to the confusion issue.

During Katrina the relief agencies were under great pressure to distribute help to the victims ASAP, especially after what the country witnessed on TV from New Orleans. Therefore, some agencies probably cut corners and rules to expedite the process. The Red Cross had set up a phone bank where 'victims' called and identified themselves as victims, whereupon the RC would wire them money via Western Union:

One Western Union store manager said an employee grew suspicious when the same person came in three times to collect money.

I do hope they found this woman. And if so, I've got a great sentence suggestion: Fashion her jail cell from one of the washed out mangled houses in the lower 9th Ward. Allow her occasional visits to the roof for a view of four or five yellow school buses full of supplies parked nearby. Would that be too harsh?