Former Butte County resident pleads guilty to Camp Fire disaster relief fraud
A former Butte County resident on Monday pleaded guilty to lying on a Federal Emergency Management application for benefits, claiming his primary residence was destroyed by the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, federal prosecutors said.
Andrew Keffer, 44, formerly of Chico, pleaded guilty to a charge of theft of government property, specifically FEMA benefits he received in the aftermath of the Camp Fire, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento.
The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed more than 10,000 homes and other buildings, leaving much of Paradise in ruins. It was the deadliest wildfire in California’s history and the costliest disaster anywhere that year with total damages estimated at more than $16 billion. FEMA offered disaster benefits to qualified residents with a primary home that was damaged or destroyed by the Camp Fire.
Prosecutors said FEMA issued two checks to Keffer based on his application for benefits, in which he falsely claimed the Camp Fire destroyed his primary home. Keffer cashed the two checks, even though he knew he was was not entitled to the money, according to the news release. The allegations against Keffer came to federal law enforcement through a tip from the public.
Keffer is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 15. Prosecutors said he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
