The United States has intervened in a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles and the CRA/LA (formerly the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles) alleging that they falsely certified compliance with federal accessibility laws in connection with claims submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for housing grants, the Department of Justice announced today. The accessibility laws allegedly violated…

(Source: sandiegouniontribune.com) Mental Health Systems, the San Diego charity that last year was the subject of allegations of misconduct and lavish spending on luxury hotels and limousines, failed to properly account for more than $140,000 in federal housing funds, a new audit states. “MHS did not allocate its payroll costs to Continuum of Care and Supportive Housing Program grants in accordance with program requirements,” U.S. Housing and…

NEWARK, N.J. – A former salesman at Bayway Lumber, a Linden, New Jersey company that sold commercial and industrial products to numerous public and private entities, was charged today with defrauding Bayway Lumber customers and knowingly making false statements before a federal grand jury, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced. Adam Martignetti, 43, of South River, New Jersey, is charged by indictment with one count of…

Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

(Source: nj.com) A former accountant for the City of Bayonne was sentenced to 21 months in prison today for accepting bribes in return for funneling hundreds of thousands in federal grant money to a local contractor. Anselmo "Rocky" Crisonino, 56, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $439,000 in restitution, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman announced. Crisonino's sentencing comes three years after he appeared in…

TRENTON, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, man, who served as the senior accountant of the City of Bayonne Department of Community Development (CBDCD) was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for accepting $65,000 in bribe payments in exchange for his assistance in awarding projects funded by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Anselmo Crisonino, 56, of Bayonne, previously…

TRENTON –Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced that five additional individuals have been charged criminally with filing fraudulent applications for federal relief funds related to Superstorm Sandy. Since March 2014, the Attorney General’s Office has filed criminal charges against 81 people for allegedly engaging in this type of fraud, including the five individuals charged today. The Attorney General’s Office is continuing its…

ORANGE -- FBI agents raided Orange City Hall on Wednesday morning and the building was shut down as the investigation into alleged fraud and money laundering continues to unfold. A sign on the front door said the building would be closed temporarily "due to unforeseen circumstances." A federal agent was guarding the doorway and would not let reporters enter the building. "This morning, a search warrant executed by the FBI in the City of Orange…

(Source: nj.com) NEWARK -- The wife of an ex-Bayonne police officer who beat a handcuffed man was sentenced today to one year of probation for her part in a scheme to illegally obtain a $20,000 federal housing loan. Rose Lillo fought back tears as she apologized to U.S District Court Judge Kevin McNulty and pleaded to be allowed to stay with her family. "I have never asked anyone for anything in my 45 years," Lillo said. "My husband and my…

TRENTON, N.J. – A former supervisor at Amtrak in Essex County, New Jersey, today admitted soliciting and accepting more than $7,000 worth of items for his personal use from a vendor as a reward for spending more than $185,000 with the vendor in his capacity as an Amtrak Building and Bridges Supervisor, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Louis Moschitti, 68, of Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G…

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ROBERT LEES, a former senior executive of Universal Forest Products, Inc. (“UFP”), was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas to 50 months in prison for conspiracy, mail fraud, money laundering, and making false statements in a loan application.  LEES was found guilty by a jury on May 20, 2016, after a seven-day trial…

BOSTON – Edward J. Tutunjian, who has owned and operated Boston Cab through his company, EJT Management, Inc., for more than four decades, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston for payroll tax evasion, employing illegal aliens and for failing to pay overtime wages. Tutunjian, 67, of Belmont, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 20 months of probation, 18 months of which must be spent at Coolidge House…

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Shannon C. Boston, 44, of Sunbury, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District court today to one count of failing to account for and pay over employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, James Vanderberg, Special Agent in…

(Source: northjersey.com) PATERSON – In their most recent subpoenas, federal investigators have requested city records covering Paterson’s use of millions of dollars of federal funding dating back to 2010, according to local officials. The subpoenas for records extending back over six years suggest the federal probe could be examining the actions taken not only by the current administration of Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres but also those under his…

(USAO, NY) Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that MICHAEL BARNETT, a real estate developer, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas to 37 months in prison for conspiring to defraud lenders and make false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) in connection with his development of Vineyard Commons, a luxury residential complex…

(Source: nj.com)  NEWARK — A federal judge Monday sentenced a former contractor for the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corp. to six months in prison for his role in a kickback scheme, much less time behind bars than sentencing guidelines recommended he should serve. Giacomo "Jack" DeRosa, 68, previously had pleaded guilty in January in the U.S. District Court in Newark to a charge of laundering $85,000 in kickbacks to the…

(Source: USAO, NJ) NEWARK, N.J. – An inspector at the Union City Community Development Agency (UCCDA) was sentenced today to 20 months in prison for conspiring with contractors to rig the selection process for home improvement, sidewalk replacement and other projects, causing losses of at least $307,000, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Johnny Garces, 53, of Union City, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge…

(Source: theadvocate.com) Louisiana stands to get $437.8 million in federal disaster aid in the coming months, as leaders work to develop a long-term plan for recovery from catastrophic flooding that has left thousands of homes damaged or destroyed across the state. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday announced that Louisiana is in line for nearly 88 percent of the $500 million that Congress approved in a last-…

(Source: nj.com) TRENTON — An Ocean County couple who own two home improvement companies has been charged with stealing more than $1million from Hurricane Sandy victims and using the money to gamble and buy luxury items instead of repairing the homes they were hired to rebuild, authorities said Wednesday. Jeffrey Colmyer, 41, and Tiffany Cimino, 43, who live together in Little Egg Harbor, were arrested and charged Tuesday with theft by failure…

(Source: nj.com) WASHINGTON — Gov. Chris Christie's administration did not properly account for $43.1 million in Hurricane Sandy housing funds, according to a U.S. government watchdog. The inspector general for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said the state did not ensure that the disbursements met a national objective, that the prices were fair and reasonable, the costs were necessary and there was proper documentation for…