Two Honolulu residents faked wildfire losses in Lahaina and Pacific Palisades, 2,600 miles apart
Daylyn Harris, 35, and Chelsea Johnson, 32, both of Honolulu, conspired to collect FEMA disaster assistance by falsely claiming to have lived in two separate wildfire disaster zones they never actually resided in: Harris claimed Lahaina, Maui, during the August 2023 wildfire, and Johnson claimed Pacific Palisades, California, during the January 2025 wildfire there, while also posing as Harris's landlord to support his claim. Together they received more than $60,000 in FEMA disaster relief. Johnson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced on April 2, 2026 to 4 months in prison. Harris pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy charge plus a separate obstruction of justice count, after submitting fabricated flight records to the court, and was sentenced on June 5, 2026 to 24 months. Both were ordered to pay $60,458 in restitution to FEMA.
- Year
- 2026
- Where
- United States
- Outcome
- Sentenced
- Reported loss
- $60,458
- Victims
- Not stated in the sources
- Schemes
- FEMA disaster assistance fraud
- Last reviewed
- 2026-10-20
The facts, as recorded
- Daylyn Harris, 35, of Honolulu, falsely claimed he lived in Lahaina, Maui during the August 2023 wildfire and reported housing, income, property and medical-bill losses he did not actually suffer.
- Chelsea Johnson, 32, of Honolulu, posed as Harris's landlord in Maui to support his false Lahaina claim, and separately filed her own false claim that she lived in Pacific Palisades, California during the January 2025 wildfire there, reporting housing losses and other expenses she did not actually incur.
- Neither Harris nor Johnson lived in either disaster area or suffered the losses they claimed; together they received more than $60,000 in FEMA disaster relief.
- Johnson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced on April 2, 2026 to 4 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and $60,458 in restitution to FEMA.
- Harris pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge. After entering his plea, he submitted fabricated flight records to the court to rebut allegations that he had violated his pretrial release conditions, for which he was separately charged with, and pleaded guilty to, obstruction of justice.
- Harris was sentenced on June 5, 2026 to 24 months in prison, 5 years of supervised release, and the same $60,458 in restitution to FEMA.
- The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Albanese; the sentencings were announced by U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson, who said of Harris that he 'stole from the public to satisfy his own greed.'
Why this case matters
This is the only documented case on this page where a single pair of defendants falsely claimed two separate, geographically distant disasters: the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire in Hawai’i and the January 2025 Pacific Palisades wildfire in California, a little over a year and roughly 2,600 miles apart. Neither defendant lived in either place. It shows the same two people can run this scheme against more than one declared disaster, reusing the same false-residency method each time a new one is declared.
Two claims, one scheme
Harris and Johnson’s roles were not identical. Harris claimed to be a Lahaina wildfire survivor himself, reporting housing, income, property and medical losses; Johnson’s first role was to pose as his Maui landlord, lending his false claim a corroborating detail FEMA’s self-certified process does not independently verify. When the Pacific Palisades wildfire struck roughly 17 months later, Johnson filed a claim of her own, this time as the supposed survivor rather than the landlord.
The obstruction charge
After Harris pleaded guilty to the underlying fraud conspiracy, prosecutors alleged he violated the conditions of his pretrial release and he responded by submitting fabricated flight records to the court to rebut the allegation. That conduct became a separate obstruction of justice charge, to which he also pleaded guilty, and it is reflected in his longer sentence relative to Johnson’s.
The caveat
Both Harris and Johnson pleaded guilty and have been sentenced; neither outcome in this case rests on an untested allegation. The $60,458 restitution figure appears to be a shared obligation tied to the combined scheme total rather than two separate, additive losses, and this page does not independently verify the underlying FEMA payment records beyond what the cited reporting states.
Sources
- Man sentenced to 2 years in prison for submitting fraudulent FEMA claims for Lahaina and California Wildfires. Maui Now. Accessed 2026-10-20. Supports: Daylyn Harris's age, location, the false Lahaina residency claim, the claimed housing, income, property and medical losses, the conspiracy to commit wire fraud and obstruction of justice charges, the fabricated flight records, his guilty plea, 24-month sentence, 5 years supervised release, $60,458 restitution, the June 5, 2026 sentencing date, the Sorenson quote, and the investigating and prosecuting parties.
- Hawai'i woman sentenced to federal prison for stealing disaster relief funds intended for Lahaina and Pacific Palisades fire victims. Maui Now. Accessed 2026-10-20. Supports: Chelsea Johnson's age, location, her role posing as Harris's Maui landlord, her own false Pacific Palisades residency claim and reported losses, her guilty plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, her 4-month sentence, 3 years supervised release, $60,458 restitution, the April 2, 2026 sentencing date, and the combined over-$60,000 figure.