$33K for Fla. Fire Victims Stolen
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --
A former employee of the American Red Cross was arrested and accused of identity theft, fraud and theft after the charity found thousands of dollars missing from its fire victims' fund.
Investigators said Nicole Urbani, 37, faked documents to make it look like there were fires at homes where none occurred. The arrest report said Urbani then issued about 50 pre-paid Master Cards -- which is how the agency provides support to fire victims -- but used them herself.
Channel 4's Laura Mazzeo talked to the homeowner at one of the locations where the forged records showed there was a fire. Fred Parvin said he was puzzled when police came to his door to ask about a fire.
"So you've never had a fire here?" Mazzeo asked. "No. Not planning on one either," Parvin said.
Police said Urbani stole more than $33,000 in the scheme.
The Red Cross found the discrepancy in records of the fire victims after Urbani was laid off last year.
The charity's CEO told Channel 4 that the theft hurt, but did not affect any fire victims.
"The Red Cross is here to help people," said Jack Morgan, who runs Jacksonville's Red Cross chapter. "What we do every day is go out to help people in need. No client was impacted; no service was delayed or not given."
Urbani is charged with five counts of identity theft, one count of credit card fraud and one count of employee theft. She remains in jail on $525,021 bond.
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