Sixty-one-year-old Toni Fisher of Twin Lake was convicted of major disaster fraud by a federal court jury last week.
According to federal prosecutors, Fisher filed for disaster benefits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. They say Fisher claimed her vacation home in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, that was destroyed by Hurricane Ian was her primary residence.
Fisher received nearly $50,000 in emergency funds for rent and living expenses while living at her lakeside home in Twin Lake when Ian made landfall in 2022, displacing thousands of Florida residents.
Prosecutors say Fisher called FEMA repeatedly from Michigan checking the status of her application, claiming she missed a housing inspection in Florida because she was out of town at her second residence since her home was destroyed.
Federal agents say Fisher consistently denied claiming the Florida house was her primary residence and falsely suggested she lived more than half the year in Fort Myers Beach. Prosecutors say Fisher only spent winters in Florida.
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