Joyce Turner, Fraud, California 2025

LOS ANGELES – A Texas woman pleaded guilty today to fraudulently obtaining tens of thousands of dollars in federal disaster relief money and COVID jobless funds.

Joyce Turner, 57, of Rosharon, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits and one count of mail fraud.

According to her plea agreement, Turner submitted a fraudulent disaster benefits application to FEMA, falsely claiming she lived in Pasadena in a rental property that had been damaged by the Eaton Fire. FEMA, relying on Turner’s false and fraudulent claim, sent her $28,195 in wildfire disaster relief money.

Turner further admitted in her plea agreement that in August 2020 she submitted a fraudulent claim for California unemployment insurance falsely claiming she had been working in California and lost work because of the COVID-19 pandemic and was entitled to unemployment insurance benefits.

Following this false and fraudulent claim, California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) provided Turner with $54,360 in jobless benefits to which she was not entitled – providing these benefits through a debit card mailed to Turner at an address in Los Angeles.

United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald scheduled a January 26, 2026, sentencing hearing, at which time Turner will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for the disaster benefits fraud count and up to 20 years in federal prison for the mail fraud count.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.

Assistant United States Attorney Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.

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