Joplin Woman Pleads Guilty to Disaster Aid Fraud

A Joplin, Mo., woman has admitted to trying to fraudulently receive federal disaster aid after the May 2011 tornado.

Prosecutors say 22-year-old Amber Nicole Peters pleaded guilty Tuesday to disaster fraud.

Peters admitted she falsely claimed that her home and property were damaged by the tornado. Instead, she met a federal inspector at a tornado-damaged home belonging to her deceased grandmother.

The Joplin Globe reports Peters was paid $3,596 in federal aid. And because of Peters’ false claim, the Federal Emergency Management Agency initially denied the claim of Peters’ aunt, who lived at the grandmother’s home.