Final Civil Action – Independent Public Accountant Debarred for Violating Federal Housing Administration Requirements for Multifamily Properties
An independent public accountant performed audits of the Willow Run (FHA no. 092-44100) and Willow Run II (FHA no. 092-35650) multifamily properties for the years 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 under the name of The Blackwing Group, LLC. According to the Minnesota Board of Accountancy, neither the independent public accountant nor The Blackwing Group, LLC, had ever been licensed to perform public accounting engagements in the State of...
Marzo 23, 2018
Memorandum
#2018-CF-1802
The Washington County, OR, Department of Housing Services’ Clover Court Project Was Eligible For Continuum of Care Funding
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General reviewed the allegations contained in a hotline complaint against the Washington County Department of Housing Services, Hillsboro, OR, to determine whether its application and related submissions to secure HUD grant OR0216L0E061500 were false or misleading or would otherwise cause the Clover Court project to be ineligible for Continuum of Care funding.
We...
Septiembre 21, 2017
Report
#2017-SE-1001
Final Civil Action: First American Mortgage Trust Settled Allegations of Failing To Comply With HUD’s Federal Housing Administration Loan Requirements
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), assisted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts in the civil investigation of First American Mortgage Trust. First American has its principal place of business in Brighton, MA, and does business as NXTLoan.Com Corp., a Delaware corporation. First American is the parent company of NXTL.
On October 18, 2016, First...
Septiembre 18, 2017
Memorandum
#2017-CF-1805
The Boston Housing Authority, Boston, MA, Housed Eligible Tenants and Correctly Calculated Voucher Subsidies
We audited the Housing Choice Voucher program at the Boston Housing Authority because of the size of the program, the time that had elapsed since our last audit, and the inherent program risk. The Authority operates the second largest Housing Choice Voucher program in New England. In addition, our office had not audited any Authority program since 2010. The Housing Choice Voucher program is inherently risky as Congress...
Abril 05, 2017
Report
#2017-BO-1004
The City of Springfield, MA, Needs To Improve Its Compliance With Federal Regulations for Its Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Assistance Grant
We audited the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) assistance grant provided to the City of Springfield, MA, by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to assist in disaster recovery and rebuilding efforts resulting from damages caused by presidentially declared disasters. The audit objective was to determine whether the City properly followed Federal procurement requirements and whether...
Octubre 17, 2016
Report
#2017-BO-1002
Sons of Divine Providence Did Not Ensure That the Don Orione Home, East Boston, MA, Operated in Accordance With Its Regulatory Agreement
Sons of Divine Providence did not properly oversee the HUD-insured nursing home to ensure that it operated in accordance with its regulatory agreement. By not informing HUD of the lawsuits, the changes in management agents, and the loans, Sons of Divine Providence did not provide HUD the necessary data to understand the risk to the HUD insurance fund. However, when Sons of Divine Providence sold the nursing home and paid off the HUD...
Octubre 13, 2016
Memorandum
#2017-BO-1801
Final Civil Action - Owner and Management Agents Settled Allegations of Failing To Comply With the Regulatory Agreements for Multifamily Projects Willow Run I and Willow Run II
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), assisted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota in a civil investigation of Willow Run Partners L.P. and Willow Run II Partners L.P. Willow Run Partners L.P. was the owner of Willow Run I Apartments, and Willow Run II Partners L.P. was the owner of Willow Run II Apartments. Our investigation began as a result of a...
Septiembre 30, 2016
Memorandum
#2016-CF-1813
The Somerville Housing Authority, Somerville, MA, Did Not Always Support Its Allocation of Costs to Asset Management Projects
We audited the Somerville Housing Authority’s public housing and Public Housing Capital Fund programs as part of our fiscal year 2016 regional audit plan. We initiated our review because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Boston Office of Public and Indian Housing had not monitored the programs in the past 5 years and we had not audited the Authority in the past 10 years. Our audit objectives were to...
Agosto 12, 2016
Report
#2016-BO-1004
Iron Mountain Settled Allegations of Making False Disclosures and False Statements Regarding Discounts and Prices Relevant to Contracts It Had With HUD
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG) assisted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California in the civil investigation of Iron Mountain, Incorporated, and Iron Mountain Information Management, LLC (Iron Mountain). Iron Mountain is headquartered in Boston, MA. The investigation began due to a qui tam[1] filing in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern...
Septiembre 29, 2015
Memorandum
#2015-CF-1809
The Cambridge Housing Authority Appropriately Handled Exception Payments
We conducted a limited review of the Cambridge Housing Authority’s Moving to Work Housing Choice Voucher Program’s use of exception payment standards. This program allows public housing authorities to use exception payment standards to set rental payments in excess of the payment standard established for an authority’s rents . The review was initiated as a result of a concern raised by a member of Congress about whether public...
Septiembre 16, 2015
Memorandum
#2015-BO-1801
Final Civil Action: Civic Construction, LLC, Settled Allegations of Making False Claims to the Seattle Housing Authority
Based on a referral from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Seattle Office of Labor Relations, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) performed a review of certain payrolls of the owner of Civic Construction, LLC, of Portland, OR. The payrolls were subject to the Davis-Bacon Act. We completed the review and referred alleged violations to HUD’s Office of Program Enforcement for action under the Program Fraud...
Marzo 30, 2015
Memorandum
#2015-SE-1801
Review of Home Forward, Portland, OR’s Compliance With Federal Lobbying Disclosure Requirements and Restrictions
We conducted a review of Home Forward (previously named the Housing Authority of Portland, OR) based on concerns noted during our ongoing internal audit of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of public housing authorities’ compliance with Federal lobbying disclosure requirements. Our review objective was to determine whether Home Forward complied with Federal lobbying disclosure requirements and...
Septiembre 05, 2014
Memorandum
#2014-PH-1806
The Housing Authority of the City of Meridian Did Not Adequately Maintain Its FHA-Insured Rental Apartments
We audited the Housing Authority of the City of Meridian’s Queen City apartments at the request of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Single Family Office of Asset Management. Our objectives were to determine whether the Authority acquired, financed, and managed the purchase of the apartments in accordance with applicable regulations and determine the cause of the Queen City apartments’ Federal Housing...
Agosto 25, 2014
Report
#2014-AT-1009
Allegations Against the Northeast Oregon Housing Authority Were Unsubstantiated or Did Not Violate HUD Requirements
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the Northeast Oregon Housing Authority. We selected the Authority because we received a hotline complaint expressing several concerns about the Authority’s procurement, asset disposal, payroll withholdings, maintenance charge rates, and tenant commissioner housing issues. Our objective was to determine whether the allegations in hotline...
Julio 28, 2014
Report
#2014-SE-1004
Chelsea, MA, Housing Authority Review of Cost Allocation and Reasonableness of Salaries
We audited the Chelsea, MA, Housing Authority based on a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Boston Office of Public and Indian Housing, which was concerned about financial controls at the Authority. Our audit objectives were to determine whether Authority officials properly implemented financial controls over the allocation of costs, and reasonableness of salaries.
Authority officials did not design...
Abril 30, 2014
Report
#2014-BO-1002
The Boston Office of Public Housing Did Not Provide Adequate Oversight of Environmental Reviews of Three Housing Agencies, Including Reviews Involving Recovery Act Funds
We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Boston Office of Public Housing as part of a nationwide audit of HUD’s oversight of environmental reviews. We selected the Boston Office based on our risk assessment. Our audit objectives were to determine whether the Boston Office’s oversight of public housing environmental reviews within its jurisdiction ensured that (1) the responsible entities performed the...
Febrero 06, 2014
Report
#2014-FW-0001
The Housing Authority of the City of Lowell, MA, Did Not Always Operate Its Public Housing and Recovery Act Capital Fund Programs in Compliance With HUD Regulations and Its Own Policies
We completed a review of the Lowell Housing Authority’s Public Housing and Recovery Act Capital Fund programs, including its force account activities. We selected this auditee based on a news articles identifying concerns with the Authority’s use of force account labor. The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the Authority (1) administered its force account modernization program in accordance with U.S. Department of...
Septiembre 04, 2013
Report
#2013-BO-1003
Home Forward Generally Complied With Moving to Work Housing Choice Voucher Requirements
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited Home Forward’s Moving to Work Housing Choice Voucher program. We selected Home Forward, formerly known as the Housing Authority of Portland, because it disbursed the highest average Section 8 funds in Oregon from 2010 to 2012 and third highest in the Region, including Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. We focused on its tenant-based...
Agosto 08, 2013
Report
#2013-SE-1004
The City of Worcester, MA, Did Not Properly Administer Its Community Development Block Grant Program
We audited the City of Worcester’s administration of its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. We selected the City for review based on a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Boston, MA, Office of Community Planning and Development. The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the City established adequate controls to ensure that the CDBG activities were eligible and supported...
Julio 29, 2013
Report
#2013-BO-1002
Volunteers of America’s Whispering Pines Senior Village, Estacada, OR- HUD and Recovery Act Rules and Regulations
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited Volunteers of America’s (VOA) Whispering Pines Senior Village’s Green Retrofit program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Our objective was to determine whether VOA used its Whispering Pines Green Retrofit Recovery Act funds in accordance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Recovery Act rules and...
Abril 25, 2013
Report
#2013-SE-1002