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Date Published
July 08, 2014
News Type
Press Release
Link to Original
U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Mexico

U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Mexico Press Release

ALBUQUERQUE—Two men from Gallup, N.M., pleaded guilty today to federal charges arising out of a scheme to defraud the United States and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of more than $100,000. The guilty pleas were announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Phyllis Robinson, Special Agent in Charge of Region 6, HUD Office of Inspector General, and Carol K.O. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI.

The defendants, Danny Garcia, 38, and Michael Virruso, 61, were indicted in Aug. 2013, on one count of conspiracy and eight counts of making false claims against the United States. Garcia also was charged with three counts of theft from programs receiving federal funds.

According to the indictment, between June 2010 and Oct. 2012, Garcia and Virruso engaged in a scheme to steal federal funds provided by HUD to the Gallup Housing Authority (GHA). HUD is a federal agency whose core mission is to make quality, affordable housing accessible to all Americans. HUD oversees and funds programs designed to provide affordable housing for low-income Americans. One such program, the Capital Fund Program (CFP), provides grants to public housing agencies for the purpose of making improvements to public housing developments. GHA is a public housing agency that receives approximately $400,000 in CFP grants each year and Garcia was the Executive Director of GHA at the time of the offenses charged in the indictment...