Hooters wants to pay FEMA for champagne bought with hurricane relief fund
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Hooters restaurant chain is looking for FEMA's address.
Company Chairman Bob Brooks said Thursday that he wants to reimburse the agency for the $200 bottle US of Dom Perignon Champagne that was purchased with a government credit card issued to Hurricane Katrina victims.
The champagne, purchased in San Antonio, was among numerous examples of improper spending of hurricane relief money cited earlier this week by Congress' Government Accountability Office. The bogus spending could be as high as $1.4 billion US, the GAO said.
In an announcement in Atlanta, Brooks said: "It bothers me as an American that resources that were intended to help victims of this tremendous tragedy were spent this way. Even if it's in my restaurants it's still not right. If FEMA will let me know where to send the check I'll get the $200 out right away."
Following Katrina, Brooks sent one of his Hooters Air 737s loaded with supplies into the Gulf Coast disaster area. The restaurant chain also donated $225,000 US to the Red Cross Katrina relief fund.
