Three New Orleans men arrested on drug charges at a Gwinnett County hotel told officers that they supported their drug habit with money from the American Red Cross and FEMA, police said.
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When officers asked the three men how they could afford to stay at the hotel, they responded that they obtained free hotels rooms easily just by displaying a Louisiana identification. One of the men, 20-year-old Michael Joseph Sanson, stated that he had a fraudulent i.d. card, according to police. He also had $600 that he said was obtained from the Red Cross.

A second suspect, 23-year-old Gary Lee Leonard, told authorities he had two hotel rooms and one home in Stone Mountain. He said he supported his $20-a-day drug habit with money from FEMA and the Red Cross but that he needed the money to “start over.” Leonard stated that he and others like him deserved the money because they are from New Orleans.

Sanson, Leonard, and 22-year-old Ronald Michael Claude have been charged with one misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana, and one felony count of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute. They are being held in jail without bond as police work to see if they can be charged with any other crimes.

After noticing a small amount of marijuana in plain view inside the motel room, investigators secured the room and got a search warrant. Officers looked through the room and found an unspecified quantity of cocaine packaged for individual sale, said Officer Darren Moloney, spokesman for the Gwinnett County Police Department.
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All the men bragged about how easy it is to obtain free rooms simply by displaying a Louisiana identification card.
?Apparently all they do is show the Louisiana ID, and the motel gives them a room and sends the bill to FEMA,? Moloney said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Leonard was the most vocal of the group, Moloney said. He reportedly boasted to police that he had two hotel rooms and a house to reside in. Leonard said he didn?t want to stay at the house because his relatives live there.
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Police asked Leonard if he thought it was right to use federal money to pay for drugs and hotel rooms. Leonard replied ?he and others like him deserve this money because they are from New Orleans,? and ?because the government is paying for everything, it is all right,? Moloney said.
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Last month, U.S. Attorney David Nahmias said his office in Atlanta has prosecuted two people for defrauding the government to obtain funds for Hurricane Katrina victims. The proliferation of such cases has prompted the creation of a Hurricane Katrina Task Force, a U.S. attorney-led coalition of federal agencies designed to deter, investigate and prosecute disaster related federal crimes such as charity fraud and insurance fraud.