Prosecutors say a Long Beach man who falsely claimed to rent a home in Altadena was among five people arrested last week for allegedly defrauding FEMA to get disaster relief after the Los Angeles County wildfires.
The fires, which started on Jan. 7, scorched nearly 60,000 acres, destroyed more than 16,000 structures and killed 30 people in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. The devastation spurred a disaster declaration approved by President Joe Biden that qualified victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires — including renters who lost their homes — for a one-time payment of $750 along with up to $43,600 in other assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Prosecutors say 21-year-old Keandre Lowe, of Long Beach, submitted a claim on Jan. 22 saying he rented an Altadena property that was destroyed in the Eaton Fire.
Link
By Feb. 13, FEMA had given Lowe $28,286 in disaster relief, but the actual property owner later told law enforcement that he had not rented out the residence since 2007, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles…