A California woman was arrested Tuesday for allegedly posing as a firefighter’s wife on social media in an effort to receive donations.
Ashley Bemis is accused of swindling people out of more than $2,000 in donations of cash, clothing and camping equipment, according to NBC News.
A release from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said Bemis posted photos to social media of a made-up husband who was a firefighter working on the Holy Fire that burned more than 20,000 acres in Southern California in August.
“My Shane works for Cal Fire and is out on the Holy Fire right now,” she allegedly wrote on Facebook, according to court documents reported by ABC News. “I also have two other family members and many friends out on this fire and other fires burning here in California. I received a text today from Shane saying it’s pretty much a living hell out there battling the unpredictable ‘Holy Hell Fire.'”
In her Facebook post, Bemis told people she would “happily meet you and pick up any donation to the firefighters and first responders that are on the front lines right now,” ABC News reported.
Investigators found donated items when they searched her car and home.
The sheriff’s office said they discovered other alleged fraudulent behavior when investigating Bemis, “including multiple prior faked pregnancies in an attempt to illegally obtain money from unsuspecting victims.”
A fire captain reportedly saw Bemis’s posts on social media and alerted the sheriff’s department. Investigators say Bemis is not married to a firefighter.
Bemis is charged with felony grand theft, second-degree burglary, witness intimidation and making false financial statements. She is being held on $50,000 bail.