Implement a plan to annually survey all HUD program offices to identify nondisclosure policies, forms, and agreements issued and to determine whether they include the anti-gag provision as required by WPEA and, as necessary, to take corrective action to ensure that they include the anti-gag provision.

Communicate across HUD that (a) HUD employees are required to include the anti-gag provision in nondisclosure policies, forms, and agreements applicable to HUD employees and (b) program offices should consider requiring their employees to request OGC assistance when implementing and enforcing nondisclosure policies, forms, and agreements applicable to HUD employees.

HUD (a) identify all contracts related to its programs that pre-date July 1, 2013 and that have not yet been modified to include Section 4712 whistleblower protections; and (b) review all contracts entered into on or after July 1, 2013, to ensure they include a clause that requires contractors to comply with Section 4712.

Status

As of June 2024, we have not yet reached agreement on a management decision with HUD over the corrective action they propose to take to address the recommendation.

Analysis

To fully address this recommendation, HUD must (a) identify all contracts related to its programs that pre-date July 1, 2013 and that have not yet been modified to include Section 4712 whistleblower protections; and (b) review all contracts entered on or after July 1, 2013, to ensure they include a clause that requires contractors to comply with Section 4712.

Implementation of this recommendation will ensure that Section 4712 whistleblower protections will apply to all individuals working for HUD contractors.

Seek voluntary cooperation from program participants to proactively modify pre-2013 contracts for the purpose of including a clause requiring compliance with Section 4712.

Status

As of June 2024, we have not yet reached agreement on a management decision with HUD over the corrective action they propose to take to address the recommendation.

Analysis

To fully address this recommendation, HUD must provide evidence that it has sought voluntary cooperation from program participants to proactively modify pre-2013 contracts for the purpose of including a clause requiring compliance with Section 4712.

Implementation of this recommendation will ensure that Section 4712 whistleblower protections will apply to all individuals working for HUD contractors.

Use its best efforts to include a clause requiring compliance with Section 4712 at the time of major modifications to contracts with program participants with whom HUD is unable to gain voluntary cooperation.

Status

As of June 2024, we have not yet reached agreement on a management decision with HUD over the corrective action they propose to take to address the recommendation.

Analysis

To fully address this recommendation, HUD must provide evidence that it has taken steps to ensure that it is including a clause requiring compliance with Section 4712 at the time of major modifications to contracts with program participants with whom HUD is unable to gain voluntary cooperation.

Implementation of this recommendation will ensure that Section 4712 whistleblower protections will apply to all individuals working for HUD contractors.

HUD seek legislative authority to expeditiously include Section 4712 protections within contracts for which HUD believes it must otherwise wait until there is a major modification.

HUD develop and implement controls to ensure that the provisions of Section 4712 are included in all contracts.

Take appropriate administrative action, up to and including debarment, against the owner for the violations cited in this report including, amongst others, failure to perform the required inspections to ensure that the units the owner were billing for assistance were decent, safe, and sanitary.

Take appropriate enforcement actions against the responsible parties and pursue civil action against the owner for improperly certifying to the eligibility of the project residents.

Pursue administrative actions, as appropriate, against the responsible parties for the improper certification included in form HUD-50059 and the Section 8 project-based voucher housing assistance payments contract.

Acknowledge that the attached settlement agreement of $325,000 represents an amount due HUD from Pacific Horizon.

Acknowledge that the attached settlement agreement for $15,000 represents an amount due HUD from the two loan officers.

Acknowledge that $3,375,163 in the attached settlement agreement represents an amount due HUD, less DOJ’s civil debt collection fees

Acknowledge that the $6,749,673 in the attached indemnification agreement represents an amount due HUD.

Acknowledge that $32,500,000 in the attached settlement agreement represents an amount due HUD, less DOJ’s civil debt collection fees.

Acknowledge that $7.23 million of the $14.5 million in the attached settlement agreement represents an amount due HUD, less DOJ’s civil debt collection fees.

Acknowledge that $6,076,741 of the $13,200,000 in the attached settlement agreement represents an amount due HUD, less DOJ’s civil debt collection fees.

We also recommend that the Director of HUD’s Departmental Enforcement Center evaluate the apparent conflict-of-interest situations in this report and pursue administrative sanctions if warranted.

Evaluate the apparent conflict-of-interest situations in this report and pursue administrative sanctions if warranted.

Acknowledge the settlement amount of $149,500,000 and that $115,000,000 of the settlement represents restitution due HUD less DOJ’s civil debt collection fees.