Katrina Woods, the Maricopa woman who claimed a nonexistent Altadena, Calif., home was destroyed in the Eaton Fire to collect disaster aid, was sentenced yesterday to one year in federal prison.
Woods, 33, also was ordered to pay $23,441 in restitution to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to federal prosecutors.
She pleaded guilty in October to one felony count of fraud in connection with a major disaster or emergency benefits.
Prosecutors said Woods submitted a disaster assistance claim in January 2025, listing 2060 N. Lake Ave. in Altadena as her primary residence allegedly destroyed in the fire. Investigators later determined the address did not exist and that Woods had never lived there.
“To the extent there was any property, no dwelling, no address of 2060 N. Lake Ave. in Altadena,” court documents state.
Authorities said Woods used altered documents, including a utility bill and bank statement, to support the claim.
FEMA ultimately paid her $16,947 in disaster relief funds. She also used a federal program that provides temporary lodging for displaced fire victims, with the agency covering hotel stays in downtown Los Angeles and Hawthorne during February and March 2025.
Federal prosecutors charged Woods in April 2025 after uncovering the fraudulent claim tied to the Eaton Fire, which triggered emergency aid programs allowing eligible residents to receive immediate payments and qualify for tens of thousands of dollars in additional assistance.
In sentencing filings, prosecutors pointed to Woods’ criminal history, which includes prior convictions for receiving stolen property, making false representations, violating probation, possession of a forgery device and identity theft-related offenses.
Ahead of sentencing, Woods asked the court for leniency, citing personal hardship and trauma following the death of her 8-year-old son.
“I was in such a state of shock that I could barely function, my bills piled up, I hadn’t checked the mail, and I was being evicted,” she wrote to the judge. “During that time, I made poor decisions while trying desperately to provide safety and stability for my family.”
The federal case concludes a series of legal troubles first reported by InMaricopa and covered extensively in subsequent reporting.
Woods had already been sentenced in Pinal County Superior Court in a separate case involving identity theft and forgery. In that case, she admitted to using a Florida woman’s identity and fraudulent documents to rent a home in the Maricopa Meadows and was placed on probation.
She was later transferred to federal custody to face the FEMA fraud charge.
