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Pamela Taylor, Who Once Called Michelle Obama An 'Ape In Heels,' Sentenced To Prison For Defrauding FEMA Of $18K

The West Virginia woman will serve 10 months in prison.

After referring to former First Lady, Michelle Obama, as an "ape in heels,” the West Virginia woman was fired from her job in 2016. Now, she has been sentenced to prison time for fraud charges.

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  • According to the West Virginia MetroNews, Pamela Taylor, 57, will spend 10 months in prison and two months in home confinement for defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

    Federal prosecutors said Taylor "falsely registered" for FEMA assistance after a series of deadly floods hit Clay County during the summer of 2016. Although Taylor’s home was not damaged by the floods, she still applied for housing relief.

    The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia announced in a news release last week, "Taylor claimed that her primary residence was damaged by the flood and that she was staying in a rental unit. In fact, her primary residence was undamaged, and she still resided there. Due to her false statements, she received more than $18,000.00 in FEMA benefits to which she was not entitled."

    The news release also stated a federal judge sentenced Taylor to a $10,000 fine and three years of supervised release after her prison term.

    Officials said earlier this year, Taylor pleaded guilty to embezzling FEMA benefits and paid $18,149.04 in restitution.

    Special Agent in Charge, Mark Tasky of  DHS-OIG, said in the news release,“Defrauding federal programs is always an egregious act.  Disaster relief fraud is even more serious because of the limited nature of the funds intended to assist Americans in their time of greatest need.”

    Pamela Taylor is notorious for causing national outrage after making racist Facebook posts about Michelle Obama.  "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,” Taylor wrote after Donald Trump was first elected.

  • Taylor, who was a director of the Clay County Development Corporation, was fired after her Facebook post went viral.

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