A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly stealing her mom’s identity in order to collect thousands of dollars in hurricane disaster relief , claiming to officials that her youthful looks were simply because of botox .
Veronica Torres, 44, from Bradenton, Manatee County, was charged on Friday with filing a false public assistance claim after she was granted almost $8,000 in relief through the City of Bradenton’s Hurricane Disaster Assistance Program, the Bradenton Police Department said in a statement.
Police said the 44-year-old claimed she was forced from her home due to damage caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton which both slammed into the Sunshine State within two weeks of one another.
Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on September 26 along the Big Bend region, while Milton made landfall as a Category 3 Hurricane on October 9 near Siesta Key. Together, the deadly storms claimed dozens of lives and caused billions of dollars worth of damage across the Southeast US.