Texas Woman Admits to Fraudulently Stealing More than $82,000 in Federal Disaster Funds

LOS ANGELES

A Texas woman admitted this week to stealing more than $82,000 in federal disaster and pandemic aid, federal officials stated.

Joyce Turner, 57, of Rosharon, pleaded guilty to disaster fraud and mail fraud charges. Prosecutors said Turner falsely claimed she lived in Pasadena in a property destroyed by the Eaton Fire, which killed 18 people and leveled more than 10,000 structures in Los Angeles County in January 2025.

Based on her fraudulent application, FEMA sent her $28,195 in wildfire relief funds.

The Pasadena fire, known as the Eaton Fire, started on the evening of Tuesday, January 7, 2025.

The fire ignited near Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains and spread rapidly into foothill communities like Pasadena and Altadena, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, according to published reports.

Turner also admitted to filing a fake unemployment claim in August 2020, saying she lost work in California due to COVID-19. California’s Employment Development Department then issued her $54,360 in benefits on a debit card mailed to Los Angeles.

She faces up to 30 years in federal prison for the disaster fraud count and 20 years for mail fraud.

Sentencing is set for January 26, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald. Turner remains free on bond.

The Department of Homeland Security OIG investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry L. Quinn is prosecuting it.