When flames from the Eaton Fire tore through Los Angeles County in January 2025, federal relief money quickly became a lifeline for families who had lost homes and belongings. But prosecutors say some of that money was siphoned away by someone who never lived in California at all.
Joyce Turner, a 57-year-old woman from Rosharon, Texas, pleaded guilty Monday to fraud charges after admitting she pocketed more than $28,000 in wildfire disaster aid and an additional $54,000 in jobless benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The case traces back to two separate schemes. Just days after the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 10,000 structures and left residents displaced, Turner submitted an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She claimed she was renting a Pasadena property damaged in the blaze. In reality, she lived in Texas and did not qualify for any relief, prosecutors said. FEMA approved the claim and sent her $28,195.
However, Turner’s fraudulent activity dated back to the height of the pandemic. In August 2020, she applied for California unemployment insurance, falsely reporting that she had been working in the state before losing her job due to COVID-19. The California Employment Development Department later mailed her a debit card loaded with $54,360 in benefits.
Turner pleaded guilty to one count of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits and one count of mail fraud. She faces up to 30 years in federal prison for the disaster relief fraud and up to 20 years for the mail fraud count.
She is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 26, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald. Meanwhile, Turner remains free on bond.
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