Three defendants have been charged in recent days with fraudulently seeking federal disaster relief funds by falsely claiming their properties were damaged by the Eaton and Palisades wildfires when in fact they did not have an interest in the affected property or the property was not affected by either fire, the Justice Department announced today. The three defendants – two in Southern California and one in Texas – were arrested this week after being charged with defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The allegedly false claims were made in the wake of the Eaton and Palisades fires that started on January 7. Together, the wildfires burned nearly 60,000 acres, destroyed more than 16,000 structures, and resulted in the deaths of 29 people. As a result, the President approved a Major Disaster Declaration, which prompted FEMA to develop a program to provide financial assistance to fire victims.

FEMA offered various forms of relief, a one-time payment of $750, up to $43,600 for “other needs” assistance, and housing assistance for up to 18 months. Homeowners are also potentially eligible for additional relief of up to $43,600 for home repair.

The fraud alleged in the three cases include payment of “other needs assistance” based on false claims of damage to personal property, lost vehicles, and medical and relocation expenses.

Joyce Turner, 55, of Rosharon, Texas, was arrested Tuesday after being charged Friday in a criminal complaint with fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits.

Turner allegedly submitted an application claiming her home had been destroyed in the Eaton fire, but she appears never to have lived in California and in fact had no connection to the address she claimed was destroyed in the fire. Instead, she allegedly forged a lease making it look like she lived there, and she received more than $25,000 from FEMA because of the fraudulent submissions.

“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,” the affidavit states.

Turner is scheduled to make her initial appearance today in United States District Court in the Southern District of Texas and is expected to appear in the Central District of California in the coming weeks.

Tyrone D. Barnes Jr., 38, of Paramount, was arrested Tuesday after being named in an indictment charging him with making false claims that was returned by a federal grand jury on February 21. The indictment alleges that Barnes submitted a disaster relief claim to FEMA for an Altadena property owned by other individuals who did not know Barnes. 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.

Barnes is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Hedeshia Robertson, 36, of Lakewood, was arrested on Tuesday after being charged in a criminal complaint filed Monday. Robertson allegedly filed a fraudulent application for FEMA benefits on January 28, seeking benefits related to a damaged residence in the Pacific Palisades that she did not own, did not rent, and in which she did not reside or work. As a result of her fraudulent application, Robertson obtained approximately $24,899 in FEMA benefits to which she was not entitled.  At the time of her arrest, Robertson also allegedly attempted to obtain additional FEMA benefits for a purported property lease in San Francisco. She is due to make an initial appearance in court this afternoon.

The charge of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits carries a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison. The charge of false, fictitious, or fraudulent claim against the United States carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.