Woman Sentenced for Fake FEMA Claim

CAMDEN – A Camden County woman who owns a second home in Ocean City was sentenced July 19 for her role in defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following Hurricane Sandy. 
Andrea Knoerzer, 53, of Voorhees, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle in Camden federal court to an information charging her with one count of disaster benefits fraud.
Knoerzer was sentenced to one day in prison which was to be served July 19 in the U.S. Marshal’s Office in Camden.
In addition, Knoerzer was sentenced to three years of supervised release and restitution in the amount of $13,373.46.
According to a previous release, in October 2012, the various counties of southern New Jersey, including Cape May County, suffered significant damage due to wind, rain, and flooding as a result of Hurricane Sandy.
On Oct. 30, 2012, President Obama signed a Presidential Disaster Declaration for the State of New Jersey pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistant Act, enabling eligible individuals to seek financial assistance from FEMA when displaced by the storms.
Knoerzer admitted that she applied for FEMA benefits on Nov. 1, 2012. She claimed that her house in Ocean City was her primary residence, that the storm damaged it, and that it was unfit for occupancy. She also claimed that the storm damaged her 2001 Volvo station wagon.
In reality, Knoerzer’s primary residence was in Voorhees and her Volvo was not in Ocean City. After FEMA awarded her temporary rental assistance, Knoerzer admitted that she submitted fraudulent documents to FEMA to secure continued disaster assistance through FEMA’s rental assistance program. Knoerzer received $13,373 from FEMA’s emergency rental assistance funds and $7,500 for transportation assistance to which she was not entitled.