(USAO, MA) BOSTON – A Milford woman was charged today in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with stealing over $70,000 in rent payments owed to the Framingham Housing Authority (FHA).    

Rosa A. Famania, 33, was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.

According to the complaint, in February 2010, Famania began working for FHA as an accounting assistant, and resigned from her position in August 2015, shortly after FHA suspended her in connection with an internal investigation into missing rent payments.  Famania’s responsibilities at the FHA included collecting cash rent payments from FHA tenants; recording these cash payments in the electronic accounting system; securing the cash in a locked cash box; and, depositing the cash payments into a FHA bank account.

The complaint alleges that, between February 2014 and August 2015, Famania stole approximately 181 cash rental payments totaling $70,649 from FHA and utilized an FHA accounting software program to assist in concealing the theft.  It is alleged that Famania came into possession of the rent payments, but did not deposit them into the FHA bank account.  Instead, Famania allegedly kept the cash rent payments and adjusted the tenants’ balance downward in the electronic accounting system.  Federal agents discovered that approximately $55,100 in cash was deposited into a joint account maintained by Famania and her boyfriend between July 2014 and July 2015, and between February 2014 and July 2014, nineteen U.S. Postal Service money orders totaling ...