A Texas woman will serve nearly two years in federal prison for stealing disaster relief funds intended for California wildfire survivors.
On June 17, a federal judge sentenced her to 21 months in prison for unlawfully obtaining more than $28,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Prosecutors demonstrated that she submitted a fraudulent disaster benefits application, claiming to live in a Pasadena, California, rental unit damaged by the Eaton Fire. She also made other non-disaster bogus claims.
The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section.
Federal agencies are actively combating this form of fraud through collaborations among FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Justice (DOJ). Under Executive Order 14395, a newly formed Task Force to Eliminate Fraud coordinates nationwide efforts to protect government benefit programs against waste and abuse.
“Anyone who steals from American taxpayers will be held accountable,” stated Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “We are preserving taxpayer monies and ensuring that disaster help reaches those who actually need it. Anyone who attempts to steal from survivors will be apprehended and held accountable.
According to government data, theft of disaster relief funding is a common target for law enforcement. In Fiscal Year 2025, FEMA examined over 1,700 cases of alleged fraud. When the agency detects suspect activity in its Individual Assistance program, including evidence of organized criminal rings, it reports the cases to the DHS Office of Inspector General and other law enforcement authorities for official prosecution.
FEMA said it is actively improving its pre-payment controls and tightening identity and eligibility checks to prevent scammers from withdrawing funds from the system, while also working to make the payout process as quick as possible for true survivors.
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