Chico man pleads guilty for filing false FEMA claim

Evan Palmer, 32, faces up to 30 years in prison and $250K fine

>> A Chico man pleaded guilty to fraud on Tuesday in U.S. District Court for false emergency claims he made following the 2018 Camp Fire.

Evan Palmer, 32, admitted to making a false statement in a claim for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance, said Phillip Talbert, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, in a press release.

FEMA disaster assistance funds were available to qualified individuals who had emergency needs for housing, food, and other necessities as a result of losses in the Camp Fire. An applicant must have resided in the damaged home as their primary residence at the time of the fire in order to qualify for assistance.

Court documents indicate that on Dec. 17, 2018, Palmer filed a claim with FEMA for disaster funds for a travel trailer located in Paradise that he said was his primary residence at the time of the Camp Fire.

Palmer did, in fact, own the travel trailer, but his primary residence was a house in Chico he was leasing at the time of the fire.

Palmer later received $26,490 in FEMA disaster benefits. The funds were supposed to be used to repair or replace Palmer’s primary residence and to assist with two months of temporary rental housing.

Palmer is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 17 by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez. Palmer faces a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, though the actual sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court with consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the release stated.

The case was brought forward after an investigation from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shelley Weger and Roger Yang are prosecuting the case.

The case is the latest in a number of similar fraudulent diesters relief cases related to the Camp Fire. Members of the public who suspect fraud involving disaster relief efforts, including Camp Fire or COVID-19 relief efforts, or who believe they have been a victim of fraud from a person or organization soliciting relief funds on behalf of disaster victims, should contact the National Disaster Fraud Hotline toll free at 1-866-720-5721.

Information can also be submitted via the center’s online Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disasterfraud/ disaster- complaint-form.