Timeline on investigation of Warrs

Here is a timeline on what has happened since the Warrs bought their beachfront home in 2003 until an indictment was handed down:

February 2003: For $1 million, Brent Warr buys three acres on the beach, including two large old houses and a cottage, from the Armed Forces Retirement Home.

2004: Brent Warr’s family moves into his grandmother’s home, rent-free, in the Woodglen subdivision while he works on renovations to the beach home they plan to live in.

2004-2005: Warr works on renovations to the beach home. His wife and children visit often, but continue to live in Woodglen because of construction dust and noise, Warr says.

Aug. 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina strikes, severely damaging the beach house, where Warr says his family was “almost completely moved in.” After Katrina, the Warrs apply for a federal homeowners assistance grant through the Mississippi Development Authority.

March 1, 2007: The city begins charging for building permits after a one-year moratorium that allows Warr and other residents to secure free permits for reconstruction.

March 30, 2007: Warr receives a free building permit from the city. (After weeks of criticism, Warr pays the city $1,020 for the permit.)

Feb. 13, 2008: Warr asks the MDA for a full review of his grant file after questions are raised about whether he legitimately received federal reconstruction funds intended for homes that served as the owner’s “primary residence."

Feb. 14, 2008: City administrators confirm that a Homeland Security fraud unit has subpoenaed water and sewer billing records and building permits for Warr’s home. City Councilman Brian Carriere is subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury investigating the Warrs’ grant.

Feb. 19, 2008: Councilman Brian Carriere testifies before the federal grand jury.

Jan. 28, 2009: Federal charges against Brent and Laura Warr are made public in U.S. District Court, where the Warrs are ordered to appear before a magistrate judge at 9:30 a.m.

— ANITA LEE