A Texas woman has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for unlawfully obtaining more than $28,000 in federal disaster aid and more than $54,000 in unemployment payments.
Joyce Turner, a 56-year-old Rosharon, Texas resident, was sentenced by United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald and ordered to pay $82,555 in restitution. Turner pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count of fraud involving major disaster or emergency benefits and one count of mail fraud.
The Eaton Fire, which began on January 7, 2025, in Los Angeles County, killed 18 people and destroyed more than 10,000 houses. A presidential disaster declaration was granted, allowing affected persons to receive federal financial aid, according to a Department of Justice press statement.
Turner filed a bogus disaster claims application with FEMA on January 10, 2025, claiming to live in Pasadena in a rental unit damaged by the fire. FEMA, based on her bogus allegation, sent her $28,195 in disaster relief funds.
Turner also acknowledged to filing a bogus claim for California unemployment insurance in August 2020, stating she was working in California but lost her job due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The California Employment Development Department paid her $54,360 in unemployment benefits, which she was not entitled to.
The case was investigated by the US Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, which will investigate and prosecute fraud against the American people. This endeavor supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which is chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance and aims to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse in federal benefit programs.
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