Five individuals have been arrested for allegedly submitting false claims to receive disaster relief funds following the January wildfires in Los Angeles. The Justice Department announced the arrests on Friday, stating that these defendants are accused of fraudulently collecting thousands of dollars from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The cases are separate, with four of the defendants hailing from Los Angeles County and arrested on Thursday. The fifth defendant, who resides in Arizona, was already in state custody for an unrelated issue when charges were filed against her.
Each defendant faces serious charges related to fraud connected to disaster benefits, potentially leading to a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. So far, FEMA has distributed over $123.6 million to nearly 34,000 individuals impacted by the wildfires, which officials warn could be one of the costliest disasters in modern history.
Among those arrested is Deanniah Hogan, 32, from Compton. She filed a claim in January, claiming damage to a property in Pacific Palisades that she was supposedly renting. However, the true owner confirmed that the property was not rented out, and Hogan received $17,351 in relief funds. She was released on a $10,000 bond after her first court appearance, with her arraignment set for May 20.
Delvonne Dashon Johnson, 31, from East Hollywood, also submitted a fraudulent claim for a Pacific Palisades home owned by someone else. The actual homeowner reported that she did not know Johnson and had never rented out her property. Johnson received approximately $64,138 before the homeowner discovered the fraudulent claim. He was scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
Another defendant, Keandre Lowe, 21, from Long Beach, claimed to be renting a home in Altadena that had been damaged in the fire. The true owners, who have lived there since 2007, confirmed they had never rented it out. Lowe received $28,286 in relief funds and was released on a $10,000 bond, with his arraignment scheduled for May 27.
Zenalyn McIntre, 38, from Sherman Oaks, is accused of submitting fake documents to support her claim for a Pacific Palisades home, receiving $25,229. She was also scheduled for a court appearance on Friday.
Katrina Woods, 33, from Maricopa, Arizona, falsely claimed her primary residence was a nonexistent address in Altadena. She received $23,441 from FEMA, along with costs for hotel stays booked through the agency. Woods is currently in state custody and is expected to appear in federal court soon.
These arrests are part of a broader crackdown on fraudulent claims related to the wildfires. Other individuals have already faced charges for similar offenses, highlighting the ongoing issue of disaster relief fraud.