Woman Accused Of Cashing In On Sandy Hook, Confronted On VIDEO
A woman from New York City attempted to scam donors out of money by portraying herself as the aunt of one of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, according to federal authorities.
Nouel Alba was incarcerated Thursday and accused of using her Facebook page, making phone calls, and sending text messages to collect donations for what she claimed was a "funeral fund," according to the The Huffington Post.
A criminal complaint stated that the 37-year-old even went as far as telling one donor that she was forced to enter the scene of the Newton, Conn. tragedy in order to identify the body of her nephew. In texts with one of the donors, Alba reportedly said she gave President Barack Obama a hug during his Newton visit and that she was terrified to view her nephew in a casket. She also wrote "11 gun shot in his little body," according to the criminal complaint.
Alba was charged with lying to FBI agents who were investigating charity scams related to the mass shooting, where gunman Adam Lanza killed six adults and 20 children on Dec. 14.
Alba told investigators she wasn't aware that her PayPal account was being used to scam donors out of money, and said she refunded the money right after receiving it. However, the complaint stated that she didn't give the donations back until a couple days after receiving them.
If the Bronx woman is convicted of the crime, she could be looking at a maximum prison term of five years and a fine close to $250,000.
The FBI would like anybody with knowledge of scams associated with the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to inform them. The state is also monitoring the identities of the individuals soliciting money in lieu of the mass shooting, according to William Rubenstein, state commissioner of consumer protection.
