As if Michael Brown’s well-known lack of experience managing disasters wasn’t enough, here’s a really scary story about FEMA inspectors who have criminal records.

“FEMA’s contract inspectors personally inspect and verify the claims. ? Our contract inspectors are our first line of accountability,” said Dan Craig, director of FEMA’s disaster recovery programs.
[snip]
The newspaper [South Florida Sun-Sentinel] found 30 inspectors or managers with criminal records out of 133 it was able to identify through confidential sources, news clips, FEMA applicants and the Internet. A case against another inspector, charged in Mississippi with the attempted rape of a Hurricane Ivan victim, is still pending. The count includes those with at least one misdemeanor offense, such as drunken driving, but excludes traffic citations or infractions.
Of the inspectors and supervisors identified as having records, 17 had criminal histories at the time they were hired. At least four lost their jobs for arrests after they were hired, including one scheduled for sentencing May 6 in California for child molestation, and two convicted of federal bribery charges for promising higher FEMA payments in exchange for money.

These guys were all employees of a subcontractor hired to do the inspections. Privatizing disaster management works real well, doesn’t it?
Via Skippy.