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Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
2 SoCal residents charged with defrauding FEMA after Palisades, Eaton fires
Two Southern Californians are among three people charged by the United States Department of Justice with trying to defraud FEMA in the wake of the Eaton and Palisades fires. Tyrone D. Barnes Jr., 38, of Paramount, and Hedeshia Robertson, 36, of Lakewood, were arrested Tuesday, the DOJ said in a news release. The third alleged fraudster, Joyce Turner, 55, of Rosharon, Texas, was arrested Friday. Barnes 'submitted a disaster relief claim to FEMA for an Altadena property owned by other individuals who did not know Barnes,' the DOJ said. '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,' the release added. Robertson is accused of '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,' resulting in her obtaining just short of $25,000 in FEMA benefits. The Texan Turner tried a similar scheme, prosecutors said, submitting '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,' the release said. This also isn't Turner's first time being accused of similar frauds. '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,' prosecutors said. The three face charges of fraud in connection with a major disaster or emergency, which carries a prison term of up to 30 years, and making a false, fictitious or fraudulent claim against the United States, which can result in a prison sentence of up to five years. 'Criminals will seize every opportunity to defraud the government, even at the expense of those who have lost everything,' said Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles Acting Special Agent in Charge John Pasciucco. 'We strongly urge the public to report any suspicious activity related to disaster relief claims to the HSI Los Angeles' El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force and our law enforcement partners.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
Their homes burned in wildfires. Fraudsters took their disaster relief funds, feds say
Three people have been arrested and charged with fraudulently trying to obtain tens of thousands of dollars in federal disaster-relief money by falsely claiming their properties were 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. The defendants allegedly took advantage of a FEMA program created in the wake of the Eaton and Palisades fires, disasters that began tearing through the state 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. Read more: Teams being deployed to prevent, prosecute insurance fraud after 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 allegedly 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 allegedly called into the FEMA disaster center hotline to modify the address to a townhouse on Del Rey Avenue. She allegedly forged a lease to appear as if she lived at the home on Del Rey Avenue, and as a result, federal authorities say, Turner received more than $25,000 from FEMA. The Walnut Street address was not damaged in the fire. Although the Del Rey Avenue property was damaged, the property owners had not applied for disaster assistance. The Del Rey Avenue home had been listed for sale in 2024 and was vacant prior to the fires, according to the complaint. Federal authorities said Turner appears never to have lived in California. Read more: LAPD says wildfire-relief scammers are on the prowl, offers tips, resources According to the complaint, Turner submitted at least 10 other applications to FEMA for disaster relief tied to Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Isaac, Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Beryl. Her criminal history includes prior arrests and convictions for fraud offenses, authorities said Wednesday. Turner also allegedly applied for unemployment insurance benefits from the California Employment Development Department in August 2020 and again this January, according to the complaint. EDD paid her more than $50,000 tied to one claim, authorities said. Barnes, who has been charged with a false, fictitious, or fraudulent claim against the U.S., allegedly 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 true 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 allegedly filed a fraudulent application for FEMA benefits on Jan. 28, seeking benefits tied to 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 allegedly obtained nearly $25,000 in FEMA benefits. 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 allegedly attempted to obtain additional FEMA benefits for a purported property lease in San Francisco. 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. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CBS News
12-03-2025
- CBS News
Federal officials in Southern California charge 3 people for allegedly committing fraud for wildfire relief benefits
Three individuals have been federally charged for allegedly committing fraud to receive disaster relief from the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, the U.S. Attorney said. 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.
