Hawaii Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Disaster Relief Funds Intended for Lahaina and Pacific Palisades Fire Victims

HONOLULU - United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Chelsea Johnson, 32, of Honolulu, Hawaii, was sentenced yesterday to four months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release (the first four months to be served as home confinement), along with $60,458 in restitution to the Federal Emergency Management Agency ("FEMA"), following her guilty plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Her co-defendant, Daylyn Harris, who also pled guilty, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 4, 2026.

According to court records, Harris and Johnson conspired to defraud FEMA by submitting false disaster relief claims tied to the Lahaina and Pacific Palisades wildfires. They claimed lost income, housing, and property even though they did not live in the disaster area or suffer those losses.

Harris falsely claimed that he resided in Lahaina during the Lahaina wildfires and that he lost housing, income, suffered medical bills, and lost property as a result. Johnson assisted that fraud by posing as Harris's Maui landlord. Johnson then falsely claimed to live in Pacific Palisades, California during the Pacific Palisades wildfires and falsely claimed she lost housing and incurred other expenses as a result. Together, Harris and Johnson received over $60,000 in disaster relief from FEMA intended for victims of the wildfires.

The Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Albanese prosecuted the case.