HOUSTON (August 19, 2009)--Six people have been indicted and arrested for filing claims after Hurricane Rita that they lost hundreds of cattle which authorities now say never actually existed.

The six arrested Wednesday claimed that more than 500 of their cattle were swept away into the
Gulf of Mexico after Rita came ashore in Southeast Texas in September 2005 and ended up getting more than $390,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture prosecutors said.

Named in the four-count indictment are: Mark Wittliff, 52, of Houston; Richard Roberson, 61, of Port Arthur; and Jackie Hanna, 59; Donald Loiacano, 57; his wife Pamela Loiacano, 54; and his brother Anthony Loiacano Jr., 56, all of Beaumont.