Los Angeles man sentenced for fraudulently obtaining $64,000 in wildfire aid

Los Angeles man sentenced for fraudulently obtaining $64,000 in wildfire aid Delvonne Johnson falsely claimed his property was damaged during the January 2025 wildfires that affected Los Angeles County - Bookmark An East Hollywood man has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for fraudulently obtaining over $64,000 in federal disaster-relief funds. Delvonne Johnson, 32, falsely claimed his property was damaged during the January 2025 wildfires that affected Los Angeles County. Johnson was also ordered to pay $64,148 in restitution to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He pleaded guilty last year in downtown Los Angeles to a charge of fraud related to major disaster or emergency benefits. The funds Johnson illegally acquired were intended for legitimate victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires. Eligible victims, including renters, could receive a one-time payment of $750, up to $43,600 in additional assistance, and housing support for up to 18 months. Homeowners were also eligible for up to $43,600 in additional relief for home repairs. Johnson submitted a bogus claim for FEMA benefits related to the Palisades fire in February 2025, listing an address in Pacific Palisades as a purported home he owned, federal prosecutors said. Later that month, FEMA sent Johnson $64,138 in federal disaster relief. On April 2, 2025, law enforcement interviewed the property's actual owner, who stated she had lived at that residence since 2015, that it was her primary residence, and she was living there at the time of the Palisades Fire, court papers show. According to federal prosecutors, she also insisted she never rented the property out to anyone and did not know Johnson. The true owner further stated when she submitted a disaster assistance application to advise authorities that her house had been destroyed, FEMA notified her that someone already filed such a claim on her property's behalf. The Eaton and Palisades wildfires that started Jan. 7, 2025, burned a total of nearly 60,000 acres, destroyed more than 16,000 structures and resulted in the deaths of 30 people. Johnson is one of five defendants who have been arrested on federal criminal complaints accusing them of fraudulently obtaining disaster relief funds by falsely claiming their properties were damaged in the January 2025 wildfires that swept through Los Angeles County, the Justice Department announced.