Their homes burned in wildfires. Fraudsters took their disaster relief funds, feds say
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Three people have been arrested and charged with fraudulently trying to obtain tens of thousands of dollars in federal disaster relief by making false claims involving properties destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades wildfires, federal authorities announced Wednesday.
Joyce Turner, a 55-year-old Texas resident; Tyrone D. Barnes Jr., 38, of Paramount; and Hedeshia Robertson, 36, of Lakewood were arrested Tuesday after being charged with defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.
Authorities allege the defendants took advantage of a FEMA program created after the Eaton and Palisades fires, disasters that began tearing through the Los Angeles area in early January and collectively burned nearly 37,600 acres, destroyed more than 16,000 structures and resulted in the deaths of 29 people.
“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,” said acting U.S. Atty. Joseph McNally.
Los Angeles Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced a “rapid response effort” to prevent insurance fraud after the devastating fires.
The defendants could not be reached for comment. It is unclear whether Turner has legal representation. Barnes and Robertson’s public defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Turner submitted an application on Jan. 9 claiming that a Pasadena rental property on Walnut Street had been damaged in the Eaton fire, according to a federal criminal complaint. The following day, Turner called the FEMA disaster center hotline to modify the address to a townhouse on Del Rey Avenue, the complaint alleges.
Turner received more than $25,000 from FEMA after forging a lease to make it appear as though she lived at the home on Del Rey Avenue, according to federal authorities. The Walnut Street address was not damaged in the fire. Although the Del Rey Avenue property was damaged, its owners had not applied for disaster assistance.
The Del Rey Avenue home had been listed for sale in 2024 and was vacant before the fires, according to the complaint.
Federal authorities said Turner appears never to have lived in California.
The Los Angeles Police Department is directing fire victims to watch out for contracting, towing and charitable donation scams that are prevalent.
According to the complaint, Turner submitted at least 10 other applications to FEMA for disaster relief linked to Hurricanes Katrina, Ike, Isaac, Harvey and Beryl. Her criminal history includes prior arrests and convictions for fraud offenses, authorities said Wednesday.
Turner also applied for unemployment insurance benefits from the California Employment Development Department in August 2020 and again in January of this year, according to the complaint. EDD paid her more than $50,000 in connection with one claim, authorities said.
Barnes, who has been charged with a false, fictitious, or fraudulent claim against the U.S., submitted a disaster relief claim to FEMA for an Altadena property owned by other individuals who did not know Barnes, according to a federal indictment.
The owners of the property on Harding Avenue learned of the fraud after contacting FEMA about potential assistance. The victims, identified in the indictment only by their initials, M.S. and A.S., were told someone else had already submitted an application for their property, according to the indictment.
Robertson is suspected of filing a fraudulent application with FEMA on Jan. 28, seeking benefits involving a damaged residence in Pacific Palisades. Authorities said Robertson didn’t own, rent, reside or work at that property.
As a result of the application, Robertson obtained nearly $25,000 in FEMA benefits, according to authorities. In February, Robertson also submitted a letter to FEMA requesting additional assistance, stating, “I have lost both my home and workplace, leaving me in an extremely difficult financial and personal situation,” according to a criminal complaint.
At the time of her arrest, Robertson also attempted to obtain additional FEMA benefits for a purported property lease in San Francisco, authorities allege.
A charge of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits could result in up to 30 years in prison, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in L.A. A charge of false, fictitious or fraudulent claim against the U.S. could result in up to five years behind bars.
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