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FORT MYERS — A Fort Myers man faces 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency by claiming his houseboat sank because of Hurricane Irma.
According to the plea agreement filed in the federal court's online records system, Roberto Armando Mimmo, 60, applied for FEMA assistance after Hurricane Irma on Sept. 4, 2017.
In his online application for assistance filed Sept. 15, Mimmo wrote that the houseboat his was living in was damaged due to “Flood; Hail/Rain/Wind Driven Rain; Tornado/Wind.”
The initial investigators found that the houseboat parked in a marina on Fort Myers Beach had sunk and was destroyed due to damage caused by the hurricane itself, according to a statement from authorities. He was awarded a claim of $35,212 — $33,000 in home repair assistance and $1,912 for two months of rental assistance.
A follow up investigation conducted by a special agent from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General found the houseboat had actually “sunk months prior to Hurricane Irma’s landfall.”
According to the plea agreement, the investigator was able to interview witnesses and found other evidence proving the houseboat actually sank in December and was never repaired. Interviewed by the investigator, Mimmo admitted the boat had sunk months earlier than he reported. He also admitted to filing a false report and giving false information.
Court papers do not disclose why a second investigation was needed or when it took place.
In addition to the 30 years in prison, Mimmo faces $250,000 in fines and five years of supervised probation according to court papers.
A sentencing date has not been set.
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