The woman who went viral for calling Michelle Obama an “ape in heels” pleaded guilty last week to embezzling thousands of dollars from federal disaster relief funds.
Pamela Taylor, 57, of West Virginia, admitted to falsely registering for Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster benefits after claiming that her primary residence was damaged when a flood hit Clay County, W.Va., in June 2016.
Even though Taylor claimed she was forced to stay in a rental property, her home was not damaged in the flood, and she was still living there despite receiving more than $18,000 in FEMA benefits from a fraudulent application.
“Taking advantage of federal funds intended for disaster relief misappropriates taxpayer dollars, reduces monies available to true victims and erodes public confidence in relief programs,” the special agent-in-charge of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, Mark Tasky, said in a statement, according to ABC News. “The defendant knowingly submitted a fraudulent application for disaster relief, in order to enrich herself and divert critical funds away from true disaster victims.”
In her plea agreement last week, Taylor agreed to pay $18,149.04 in restitution and could face 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000.
“Taylor’s fraud scheme diverted disaster benefits from our most desperate and vulnerable, those most in need of help,” U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart said Wednesday.
Shortly after the 2016 elections, Taylor, then a county official, posted on Facebook: “It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified First Lady in the White House. I’m tired of seeing a Ape in heels.”
The tweet made national headlines after Clay County Mayor Beverly Whaling liked the post and commented, “Just made my day Pam.” Taylor was fired in the wake of the tweet.
