TRENTON – Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal today announced that the Attorney General’s Office and its state and federal partners have charged five new defendants with filing fraudulent applications for federal relief funds related to Superstorm Sandy, bringing the total number of defendants charged by the office in these cases to 109 since March 2014. “Any fraud against public assistance programs is deplorable, but these thefts were especially…

(Source: courant.com) The former executive director of the Enfield Community Development Corporation, a former quasi-public organization that controlled funding for economic development projects, has been charged with stealing $95,000 in public money from the corporation. Darrin LaMore, 47, was released on $25,000 bail Friday after his appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge in New Haven. The charge carries a maximum prison term of 10…

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Enfield Police Chief Carl Sferrazza today announced that DARRIN LAMORE, 47, of Enfield, has been charged by a federal criminal complaint with stealing government funds from the Enfield Community Development Corporation. On February 16, 2018, LAMORE appeared…

A Seattle woman who defrauded programs aimed at assisting the neediest in our community was sentenced today in federal court to three years of probation, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.  DEKA HIRSI, 39, lied to obtain subsidized housing from the Seattle Housing Authority, falsely claimed that her only employment was working all night caring for her elderly parents, and claimed benefits for overnight daycare stays for her five…

(Source app.com) The former executive director of the Asbury Park Housing Authority admitted to misappropriating around $90,000 from the organization to unilaterally give himself a $50,000 salary hike, and to pay for spa services, in-room movies at hotels, strip clubs and stretch limos to take him and his family to and from the airport, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. Mark W. Holmes Sr., 56, of Lawrence, who is also a…

TRENTON, N.J. – The former Jersey City Chief of Police today admitted defrauding the Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) by obtaining compensation for off-duty work that he did not perform, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.  Philip D. Zacche, 61, of Manalapan, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of embezzling, stealing,…

(Source: buffalonews.com) Stephanie W. Cowart, former executive director of the Niagara Falls Housing Authority, admitted Wednesday to working with her son and daughter-in-law to steal $17,580 from the authority and the state. Cowart, who appeared before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara, pleaded guilty to theft of federal funds and acknowledged signing off on a teaching job and a training program that illegally benefited the couple. Allen…

Buffalo, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Stephanie W. Cowart, 58, of Grand Island, NY, pleaded guilty to theft concerning programs receiving federal funds before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In addition, Cowart’s son and daughter in-law, Allen, 31, and Fredia, 28, both of Niagara Falls, NY, pleaded guilty to a…

NEWARK, N.J. – The former executive director of a Newark-based childcare and community program and a partner in a political fundraising and consulting company today admitted committing wire fraud and tax evasion, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced. Kiburi D. Tucker, 42, of Newark, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud and…

Testimony Before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

BOSTON – A Taunton woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for concealing information and making false statements in order to receive Social Security disability benefits and Section 8 housing assistance to which she was not entitled.    Marisha Ebanks, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to four months in prison, three years of supervised release, with the first three months to be…

Portland, Maine:  Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy announced that Jamie Hussey, 35, of Gorham, Maine, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge D. Brock Hornby to three months in prison and one year of supervised release for federal program fraud.  She was also ordered to pay $92,877 in restitution. Court records show that between February 2014 and September 2016, the defendant embezzled money from the…

(Source: cleveland19.com) CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) -A Cuyahoga County Grand Jury has indicted Cleveland's alleged Facebook Scammer Zienup Sbeih. Monday morning, Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority Police presented their case seeking an indictment on at least five counts for Housing and Food Stamp Fraud. The indictment came down with seven counts total, including five counts of Tampering with Evidence, one count of Grand Theft and one count of…

ATLANTA – Erica D. Morris has been charged with making more than $35,000 in personal purchases on a merchant credit card that the Covington Housing Authority issued her for work-related purchases. “Morris abused her position with Covington Housing Authority by ringing up more than $35,000 in personal charges,” said U.S. Attorney John A. Horn. “In effect, Morris diverted money earmarked for the low-income families for which the Covington…

(Source: covnews.com) ATLANTA – Erica D. Morris has been charged with making more than $35,000 in personal purchases on a merchant credit card that the Covington Housing Authority issued her for work-related purchases. “Morris abused her position with Covington Housing Authority by ringing up more than $35,000 in personal charges,” U.S. Attorney John A. Horn said. “In effect, Morris diverted money earmarked for the low-income families for…

CAMDEN, N.J. – The former executive director of the Ocean City, New Jersey, Housing Authority (OCHA) was sentenced today to three years of probation for embezzling federal funds received by authority from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced. Alesia Watson, 54, of Galloway Township, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen M. Williams to…

(Source: coshoctontribune.com) COSHOCTON – Officials are tight lipped regarding an ongoing investigation into the Coshocton Metropolitan Housing Authority regarding possible misappropriation of funds, however the board was to meet for an emergency meeting Tuesday evening. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the director's position, according to attorney Todd Drowns. The current executive director is Greg Darr. He's been with CMHA…

COSHOCTON – The board of the Coshocton Metropolitan Housing Authority suspended Executive Director Greg Darr indefinitely without pay during a special meeting Tuesday evening. Lisa Mowery, Section 8 housing coordinator, was named interim director. The board will meet again at 8 a.m. Friday at the board office to discuss further business, including how it will handle owed sick leave and vacation time to Darr, who has been with CMHA since August…

COSHOCTON - The Coshocton Metropolitan Housing Authority is being investigated for misappropriation of funds, according to Lt. Dean Hettinger of the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office. A search warrant related to a long term investigation of misappropriation of funds was executed shortly after 11 a.m. Monday at the CMHA office, part of the Coshocton Meadows low-income housing complex at 823 Magnolia St., Hettinger said. Searching was done at the…

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Wednesday that an audit of the West Warwick Housing Authority found that more than $2 million in “procurements” lacked proper documentation. Stephen O’Rourke, who started last January as the authority’s new executive director, was not in charge during the audit period, Jan. 1, 2012, through June 30, 2016. He said Wednesday that many files were thrown out by an…