Fraudsters leave victims without disaster relief funds

MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Fraud is a real issue that affects real people.

And taking advantage of someone affected by a disaster is worse.

Roughly two weeks ago, we reported to you about a Tennessee couple accused of scamming their way into disaster funds in Amory.

The arrest came after the real homeowners took matters into their own hands.

After multiple trips to the Red Cross station…

“I went there 12 times. Cause all of my papers kept coming up missing and they never could get it straight. That’s when I started looking into it more,” said Leigh Ann Nix, scam victim.

Leigh Ann Nix said she hasn’t received any word from Red Cross after discovering a case of fraud.

“Nobody has talked to us since that through Red Cross not even to verify anything or nothing. They’re just steadily putting the people up and taking care of them every since the tornado,” said Leigh Ann Nix.

“And we found out from the headquarters that there were 11 claims on our house. And he said this will be investigated and that’s when that woman called and said we do not investigate and we do not prosecute,” said Chassie, scam victim.

The Nixs felt like there wasn’t enough being done to find the fraudsters, so they took matters into their own hands, hiring a private investigator.

The results of that investigation landed Jason and Carole Coffey in custody but not for long.

Sheriff Kevin Crook said right now, one of the individuals has made bond. The other is still in jail, trying to make bond.

But whether they make bond or not, Crook said the investigation must go on.

“Being from Tennessee or wherever they’re really from they’re gonna have an opportunity when they bond out to go wherever. So we’ll give them a court date and if they don’t make that court date when they’re supposed to, at that point it’ll either be up to that bonding company that bonded them out to track them down and bring them back or we can get em entered on the national database as wanted out of Monroe County Mississippi,” said Crook.

Crook said this is the only fraud case concerning disaster relief funds that has surfaced in Monroe County.

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