WHAT HEELS: Never Let A Serious Crisis Go To Waste
Authorities allege that four people fraudulently claimed to be victims of the gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno so they could collect disaster aid, reports The Associated Press:
Niesha Taylor and Deonte Bennett, a couple from San Francisco, were arrested Tuesday at a San Bruno assistance center. Sonya Smith and Lisa Justin, who live three miles from the devastated neighborhood, were arrested later in the day.
Authorities said the four went to the assistance center and submitted false addresses of homes affected by the explosion to Department of Motor Vehicle officials.
They were seeking new drivers licenses that would make them eligible for benefits reserved for explosion victims, said Calvin Woo, a supervising investigator for the DMV.
"Some of the flags were that they couldn't remember who their landlord was," Woo said.
Victims of the blast are eligible for free cellular telephones, food and clothing store and supermarket gift cards, among other items.
At their arraignment, Smith, 44, and Justin, 42, pleaded not guilty to five felony counts, including commercial burglary, perjury and filing false documents, and were being held on $100,000 bail. Bennett and Taylor, both 25, have not yet been charged and are free on $25,000 bail.
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