Federal officials in Southern California charge 3 people for allegedly committing fraud for wildfire relief benefits
At a news conference Wednesday morning, Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally announced charges against two individuals in Southern California and one in Texas.
McNally told reporters the individuals are charged with allegedly making false claims to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and for receiving fraudulent financial assistance.
"These false claims resulted in badly needed disaster-relief money being denied to actual wildfire victims while these defendants allegedly used property information to illegally line their own pockets," McNally said.
Joyce Turner, 55, was arrested in Texas Tuesday and has been charged in a criminal complaint for allegedly submitting an application claiming her home had been destroyed in the Eaton Fire, a statement from McNally's office said.
Federal officials claim Turner has never lived in California and had no connection to the address she submitted the application for. She is also accused of forging a lease claiming she lived at the residence. McNally said through her fraudulent application she received more than $25,000 from FEMA.
"Turner submitted at least ten other applications to FEMA for disaster relief (so eleven total) related to seven other federally declared disasters, e.g., Hurricane Katrina (2005), Hurricane Ike (2008), Hurricane Isaac (2012), Hurricane Harvey (2017), and Hurricane Beryl (2024), and otherwise has a criminal history showing previous arrests and convictions for fraud offenses," according to court documents.
Turner is expected to appear in court in the Central District of California in the coming weeks, McNally said.
Tyrone Barnes Jr., 38, was arrested Tuesday after he was named in an indictment for allegedly submitting a false claim for disaster relief to FEMA for a property in Altadena owned by people who did not know him.
"The true owners of the property contacted FEMA about potential assistance, which is when they learned another person had already submitted an application in relation to their property," McNally said.
The U.S. Attorney said Barnes is expected to appear in court Wednesday afternoon in downtown LA.
Hedeshia Robertson, 36, was arrested Tuesday after being charged in a criminal complaint claiming she filed a fraudulent application to FEMA, McNally said.
The U.S. Attorney claims Robertson filed the application on Jan. 28 relating to a damaged residence in the Pacific Palisades area she did not own, rent or live in. She is accused of allegedly receiving more than $24,000 in FEMA benefits.
Federal officials said at the time of her arrest she was allegedly attempting to obtain additional relief. She is expected to appear in court Wednesday afternoon.
The statutory maximum sentence in connection to fraud for disaster benefits is 30 years, McNally said.
"Charging these cases quickly serves as an important deterrent to those who may decide to engage in this type of conduct, that you will be held accountable," McNally told reporters.
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