Brazoria County woman pleads guilty to fraudulently claiming $82,000 in California relief funds

BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A Brazoria County woman has admitted to defrauding the federal government out of tens of thousands of dollars by posing as a California disaster victim and filing false claims for pandemic unemployment benefits.

Joyce Turner, 57, of Rosharon, pleaded guilty Monday in California to disaster benefits fraud and mail fraud. Court records show the plea agreement had been in the works for several months. Turner remains free on bond while awaiting sentencing.

Prosecutors say Turner took advantage of the devastation caused by the Eaton Fire in California this past January. Just two days after the blaze was declared a federal disaster, Turner submitted a FEMA application claiming a Los Angeles County rental property she never lived in had been damaged. FEMA paid her more than $28,000 before the claim could be verified.

According to prosecutors, Turner’s fraudulent activity has been ongoing for decades. She had previously filed 10 false claims for federal aid, including one connected to Hurricane Katrina more than 20 years ago, a federal prosecutor said in March.

Her plea deal also covers a separate scheme in 2020, when she admitted to collecting more than $54,000 in unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In total, Turner received more than $82,000 in fraudulent payments over a five-year period.

“These relief funds are taxpayer dollars and are intended to go to those in real need,” Jose Gonzalez of the IRS said in March.

Turner faces up to 50 years in federal prison when she is sentenced in January.

Online records show Turner has a lengthy criminal history in Texas, under several aliases, that also includes fraud and theft.

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