CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - A 23-year-old Chicago man is charged with derecho benefits fraud after being accused of claiming to be from Cedar Rapids.
A complaint in federal court says Tavonte Stewart applied for disaster benefits from FEMA following the August derecho storm.
He's accused of claiming a primary residence in Cedar Rapids when he was actually living in Chicago on supervised release for a felony counterfeiting conviction.
A property management firm says no one was living in the property at the time of the storm and it only sustained minor roof damage.
Stewart has a detention hearing Wednesday and faces up to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. He would also face five years of supervised release.
He initially appeared in court Monday.