BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- A night manager at a Holiday Inn has been accused of stealing money from Hurricane Katrina evacuees who had been put up at the hotel for free by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Simone Harrell James, 34, was being sought on an arrest warrant alleging credit card fraud and theft over $10,000, said Fred Raiford, a spokesman for the East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff.
The Holiday Inn was working with FEMA to provide 14 days of free lodging for evacuees, according to an affidavit filed by investigators. But Harrell told patrons they would have to pay cash for the first two days of their stay before the federal agency would pick up the tab, according to investigators.
Harrell also charged at least seven credit cards to cover room costs for which she had taken cash, the affidavit said.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press
