HOUSTON (AP) -- A Houston woman who fraudulently claimed she had homes damaged by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson says Phyllis Ann Taylor's sentence is one of the longest imposed nationwide related to fraudulent claims for hurricane assistance.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner sentenced Taylor on Wednesday to 33 months for mail fraud and 24 months for aggravated identity theft.
Authorities say the 28-year-old Taylor filed a dozen claims for assistance after Katrina and Rita using slight variations of her name. Last year, she filed a false claim for Hurricane Ike, stating she lived in Galveston.
Taylor was from Marrero, La., but relocated to Houston after Katrina.
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