California woman arrested, accused of pretending her husband was fighting Holy Fire to collect donations

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. (KTLA) -- A San Juan Capistrano woman was arrested following a three-month investigation into allegations she had posed as the wife of a firefighter on the front lines of the Holy Fire to defraud people who were donating money to recovery efforts, officials said Tuesday.

Ashley Bemis, 28, allegedly posted pictures of herself alongside her fictitious firefighter husband to various social media accounts, with captions soliciting donations, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said in a news release.

Bemis collected more than $2,000, officials said. Though she claimed the funds would benefit firefighters, she allegedly kept the money for herself.

A local fire captain grew suspicious of Bemis' requests and asked the Sheriff's Department to investigate.

San Clemente police investigators believe Bemis invented a fake husband with the intention of defrauding people hoping to donate to wildfire relief. They also uncovered previous social media posts showing she had faked pregnancies in an effort to solicit donations, sheriff's officials said.

Bemis was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of felony grand theft, second-degree burglary, witness intimidation and making false financial statements.

She was being held at the O.C. Jail on $50,000 bail.