HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Two Honolulu residents have been charged over allegations that they submitted false claims to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to collect more than $60,000 in disaster relief funds.
The seven-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury alleges that Daylyn Harris, 34, and Chelsea Johnson, 32, claimed to have suffered income, housing, and property losses as a result of both the 2023 Lahaina wildfires and the Los Angeles wildfires in January.
Authorities said Harris and Johnson did not live in the disaster areas nor did they suffer any such losses.
They were charged with six counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
If convicted, they face up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for each count.
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