Marion Woman Sentenced After FEMA Fraud Scheme Following Helene

A Marion woman has been sentenced to three years in federal prison after authorities said she provided false information to FEMA in an attempt to receive disaster assistance following Hurricane Helene.

Peggy Lee Cantrell, 41, of Marion, was sentenced Thursday, September 17, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina. Following her prison sentence, Cantrell will serve four years of supervised release and has been ordered to pay more than $30,000 in restitution to FEMA.

According to court records and prosecutors, Cantrell applied for FEMA disaster assistance on February 22, 2025.

In the application, authorities said Cantrell falsely claimed that a home on Beaver Creek Road in Marion had been destroyed by Helene. She identified herself as a renter and stated that the damaged property was her primary residence.

Five days later, on February 27, Cantrell changed the residential status on her application from renter to owner.

The following day, authorities said Cantrell also falsely told a FEMA inspector that she owned the residential trailer she claimed had been destroyed by the storm, but did not own the land where the trailer was located.

The case was prosecuted in federal court following an investigation into the FEMA disaster assistance application.

Cantrell was sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay more than $30,000 in restitution to FEMA.