NEW ORLEANS – Sean Hunter resigned from his post as Aviation Director at Armstrong International Airport in September 2009 amid a federal investigation targeting he and his wife Shauna.
Friday, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten announced details in the case, which focus on Shauna Hunter's $53,000 BMW - a car she collected an insurance claim on - saying it was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina.
Prosecutors say the couple continued driving it.
"The bill charges that she and her husband Sean Hunter colluded together and made multiple misrepresentations, not only to the insurance company, but also to the FBI during the course of the investigation, that is, in essence, a fraud scheme," Letten said.
The Hunters are both charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and lying to the FBI.
Letten says Sean Hunter used his position at the airport to try to hide the scheme, by having a subordinate employee issue a new brake tag for the BMW.
The couple allegedly kept driving the car, but prosecutors say, when two New Orleans red light cameras snapped images of the vehicle on the road, things changed.
"This actually, we believe, if you look at the timeline, causes them to actively, very actively, go to great lengths to conceal the vehicle and the fact that they're still driving it, because now, there's a public record showing this vehicle is still out there on the street when it was bought by the insurance company some time ago," Letten said.
Prosecutors say the couple then hid the car in short term parking at the airport.
NOPD detectives discovered the Hunters' car during an investigation into numerous vehicles that were abandoned at the airport, a story that was uncovered in an Eyewitness News report.
Entering a weekend when New Orleanians commemorate the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Letten says those who used the disaster for personal gain should beware.
"There are still Katrina-related fraud cases in the pipeline and we intend to pursue any case that is viable until the end," Letten said.
If convicted, Sean and Shauna Hunter face up to five years in federal prison, and a $250,000 fine.
We were unable to reach the Hunters for comment Friday.
