ATLANTA - Kimberly Johnson has pleaded guilty for her role in a mortgage fraud scheme spanning more than three years and resulting in the approval of approximately 450 mortgage loans based on fabricated documents and false information. Many of the loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), resulting in claims being paid for mortgages that have defaulted.“The defendant and her co-conspirators brazenly manipulated the real…

CLEVELAND – Basheer Jones, 40, of Cleveland, Ohio, has been charged in a two-count information with conspiring to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud for using his role as a public official for personal financial gain by seeking to defraud multiple community stakeholders out of more than $200,000. He previously served as an elected Cleveland city council member representing Ward 7.According to court documents, from about December 2018…

CINCINNATI – The former executive director of the Clermont Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to federal program theft.Timothy Holland, 57, of Williamsburg, Ohio, admitted to stealing tens of thousands of dollars intended to assist low-income residents of Clermont County, Ohio.According to court documents, Holland served from 2012 until 2019 as the executive director for CMHA, the United States…

The Justice Department announced today that Kevin Martin, an owner and manager of residential rental properties in and around Athens, Ohio, has agreed to pay $170,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that he sexually harassed female tenants and housing applicants in violation of the Fair Housing Act.The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, alleges that, from at least 2010 to at least 2020, Martin requested…

SAVANNAH, GA:  The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and its Office of Inspector General (HUD OIG) hosted a Savannah roundtable for community members and organizations as part of the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative.“Sexual harassment or abuse by a landlord is never acceptable,”…

The Justice Department announced today that Iraj Shambayati, a landlord who owns and manages over 45 residential properties in and around Savannah, Georgia, has agreed to pay $600,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by sexually harassing and retaliating against his female tenants for over 15 years.“No female tenant should have to endure sexual harassment and abuse in the sanctity of her own home,” said…

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man who estimated he filed more than 3,000 fraudulent COVID-relief applications was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 72 months in prison.The fraud scheme perpetuated by Ousmane Diane, 24, caused a loss of more than $908,000. He submitted applications for more than $2 million in funding.Diane pleaded guilty in October 2023 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.According to court documents, Diane used…

ATLANTA - Matthew Allen Dickason, a disbarred attorney who was previously licensed to practice law in the State of Georgia, has been sentenced to federal prison for embezzling more than $3 million from his clients. Dickason used the money for personal purposes and created phony accounting records to cover up his theft.                                   …

CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati tenant pleaded guilty in federal court today to making false statements accusing her landlord of violating the Fair Housing Act.Dermisha Pickett, 33, fabricated messages from her landlord stating the landlord did not want Black tenants.According to court documents, in February 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office was forwarded several text messages purportedly sent by the Cincinnati-area landlord as part of a civil rights…

ATLANTA – U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis hosted a Safe Housing Summit on December 14, 2023, to promote health and safety for tenants living in HUD-assisted housing.“Our office is determined to address inequities in our district that exist in underserved communities who must heavily rely on HUD’s housing assistance programs,” said U.S. Attorney Buchanan…

MACON, Ga. – The former payroll clerk for the Milledgeville Housing Authority (MHA) has admitted she stole $575,000 by overpaying herself and entered a guilty plea in federal court today for her crime.Jennifer Kay Smith, 49, of Eatonton, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of federal program theft before U.S. District Senior Judge Marc Treadwell today. Smith faces a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment to be followed by three years of…

CLEVELAND –United States Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko announced today that Arthur Fayne, 61, who managed the development of the New East Side Market, was found guilty of all 9 counts of wire fraud for embezzling more than $880,000 in funds intended to help the residents of Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood, but which Fayne used for an extravagant lifestyle with extensive casino gambling. The trial lasted five days and was presided over by U…

ATLANTA - Matthew Allen Dickason, who was the owner of an Atlanta law firm, has pleaded guilty to federal charges arising from a scheme to defraud the firm’s clients. “It is shameful for an attorney to abuse the trust placed in him by his clients, but that is exactly what Dickason did,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “He misappropriated millions of dollars belonging to his clients for his personal benefit with no regard for how his…

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against Joseph Earl Lucas of Amesville, Ohio, for sexually harassing female tenants and housing applicants in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Lucas has owned and managed more than 70 residential rental properties in and around Athens County, Ohio. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, alleges that since at least 2004, Lucas requested sex acts from female…

CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati tenant is charged with federal crimes related to making false statements accusing her landlord of violating the Fair Housing Act. Dermisha Pickett, 33, allegedly fabricated messages from her landlord stating the landlord did not want Black tenants. Pickett appeared in federal court in Cincinnati yesterday after self-surrendering. Her case was unsealed today. “False reports to law enforcement, as alleged in this case…

ATLANTA - Maurice Lawson has been sentenced to federal prison for obtaining nearly a half a million dollars by submitting multiple fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) applications. “Congress enacted the Paycheck Protection Program to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawson took advantage of a federal…

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The former director of a local Islamic center was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to four months in prison then four months in a halfway house followed by 12 months of home confinement for embezzling funds from the mosque, defrauding public housing, and filing for fraudulent COVID assistance funds. Ahmed A. Sh. Ahmed, 44, of Gahanna, pleaded guilty in October 2022 to committing wire fraud, submitting a false statement…

DAYTON, Ohio – A Tipp City man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 18 months in prison for defrauding a local non-profit organization. He was also ordered to pay $94,942 in restitution. Antoine Draines, 43, defrauded Miami Valley Community Action Partnership (MVCAP) of rental assistance funds. MVCAP received federal funding as part of the CARES Act. According to court documents, Draines controlled and operated Freedom for Living…

CLEVELAND  – Diane A. Mason, 52, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced on Jan. 4, 2023, to two years in prison by U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan after she pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft.  According to court documents, between January 2017 and October 2020, Mason stole $72,476 in Social Security Retirement Insurance benefits and $40,143.60 in monthly pension benefits from the Xerox Corporation, which were…

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The former director of a local Islamic center pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to embezzling funds from the mosque, defrauding public housing, and filing for fraudulent COVID assistance funds. Ahmed A. Sh. Ahmed, 43, of Gahanna, admitted in federal court today to committing wire fraud, submitting a false statement and making a false statement. According to court documents, from at least 2009 until March 2019, Ahmed…