A Texas woman pleaded guilty Monday in Los Angeles to fraudulently obtaining more than $28,000 in federal disaster relief money by falsely claiming she was a Pasadena resident living in a property damaged by the Eaton Fire, and to obtaining more than $54,000 in jobless benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic under false pretenses.
Joyce Turner, 57, of Rosharon, Texas, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits and one count of mail fraud.
According to her plea agreement, Turner submitted a fraudulent disaster benefits application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, falsely claiming she lived in Pasadena in a rental property that had been damaged by the Eaton Fire. In fact, Turner did not live in California and did not qualify for the benefits.
FEMA, relying on Turner’s false and fraudulent claim, sent her $28,195 in wildfire disaster relief money, papers filed in L.A. federal court show.
Turner further admitted in her plea agreement that in August 2020 she submitted a fraudulent claim for California unemployment insurance falsely claiming she had been working in California and lost work because of the COVID-19 pandemic and was entitled to unemployment insurance benefits, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Following this false and fraudulent claim, California’s Employment Development Department provided Turner with $54,360 in jobless benefits to which she was not entitled — providing these benefits through a debit card mailed to Turner at an address in Los Angeles.
In January, as the Eaton Fire burned through Altadena, killing 18 people and destroying more than 10,000 structures, a presidential disaster declaration made emergency assistance and benefits available to those affected by the fire and to other wildfire victims in the area.
U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald scheduled a Jan. 26 sentencing hearing, at which time Turner will face up to 50 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.