FEMA wants its money back

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FEMA wants its money back

By Michaela L. Duckett – May 20, 2011

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Good Morning! Thank goodness the weekend is finally here. What are your plans? If you haven’t made any yet, please be sure to check out Toni’s column for suggestions on ways to have some fun this weekend.

Today the weatherman is calling for mostly cloudy skies early with a high of 82°.

Here’s what is brewing in the news this morning:

FEMA Wants money back

Tony DePasquo and his wife Anita have been told they must repay $27,700 of the $29,900 they received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency last year after flooding destroyed their home in Nashville, Tenn, reports MSN.com.

After using the money to purchase a new home, the couple is now trying to figure out how they can repay the government. DePasquo already is working 84 hours a week to earn the cash to pay off other flood-related debts.

The couple are among the 5,650 victims of 129 disasters who, according to FEMA, received disaster relief payments in error. The agency is seeking to recoup $22 million it said was paid out erroneously. In a statement FEMA said the error, for the most part, is due to human error and mistakes made by its own employees.

An additional $643 million in "erroneous disaster" payments to about 160,000 households, much of that from hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in 2005, is under review.
Read more at MSN
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Jury rules in Beason’s favor, awards $1

Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason is the victor in a nine-day civil trial brought by a man who claims the three-time Pro Bowl pick punched him in the face at a Charlotte strip club.

His accuser, Gregory Frye claimed that Beason broke his nasal cavity. Beason testified he confronted Frye at the Uptown Cabaret in November 2009 for telling other patrons he once saw Beason snorting cocaine at a party.

Beason, who said he's never used illegal drugs or failed a NFL drug test, admitted that he was angry, but said he did not hit Frye.

A jury of eight women and four men believed him. The jury also ruled that Frye slandered Beason and awarded Beason $1 in damages, the amount Beason was seeking.

Read more at The Charlotte Observer.
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Botox mom says it was all a hoax

The woman who went on "Good Morning America," claiming she injected her 8-year-old daughter with Botox, now swears under oath she made the entire story up for a few hundred bucks, reports TMZ.

TMZ is reporting they have obtained a sworn declaration written by Sheena Upton, who claims she was recently approached by the British tabloid, The Sun, and asked "to play the role of Kerry Campbell" for a story called "I Give My 8-Year-Old Daughter Botox."

Upton now confesses The Sun paid her $200 adding, "I was provided with the story, instructions and a script to follow for a recorded interview."

After the story ran in The Sun, Upton says she was approached by "Good Morning America" and "Inside Edition" and claims she was offered "a large fee" to appear on camera. She went on both shows and re-told her story.

After the interview, child welfare officials took Upton's daughter away.

Question: Do you believe it was all a hoax? If so, should Upton get her daughter back? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.