Retired auditor goes to prison

The Sun Herald, 1/15/8

A retired federal auditor has reported to prison to serve time for filing false claims for disaster assistance after Hurricane Katrina.

Dominic T. Leperi Jr., who retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in January 2005, claimed he owned a home in Biloxi on applications for federal assistance after the hurricane.

Leperi moved to Ocean Springs from Rockville, Md., in April 2006, eight months after the hurricane. The Biloxi home he claimed to own belongs to his mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, court records show.

Leperi was charged in a 10-count indictment last March and later pleaded guilty on two counts. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Halil “Sul” Ozerden on Dec. 6.