As the Los Angeles area reels from the ongoing wildfires, local and federal law enforcement agencies are teaming up to crack down on wildfire-related crime across the region.
The Joint Regional Fire Crimes Task Force will focus on looting, burglary, impersonation offenses, arson, illegal drone activity and fraud "targeting both disaster victims and those wishing to make charitable donations," according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California Wednesday.
“We will not permit victims to be re-victimized,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “Our community has suffered tremendously, and we are here to support them."
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Since the fires started last Tuesday night, more than 50 people have been arrested — nine of which have been charged — in connection with looting, burglary, impersonation or curfew violations, authorities said.
Fraud has also been a central issue as both victims and good Samaritans struggle to navigate where their money is going. The task force intends to investigate not only individual acts of fraud, but price gouging for essential needs, contractor fraud and the misuse of federal programs, including through Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration.
Drones operating illegally have hampered aerial firefighting efforts, including a collision with a Super Scooper over the Palisades Fire that took the plane out of commission for several days. A federal offense, flying a drone a restricted airspaces carries a sentence of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $75,000.
The task force brings together various agencies:
- U.S. Attorney’s Office
- FBI
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
- Homeland Security Investigations
- Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office
- Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office
- Los Angeles Police Department
- Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Tips can be sent to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online. Potential fraud can be reported to the National Center for Disaster Fraud at (866) 720-5721.