CLEVELAND, Ohio — A former program manager for the Parma Public Housing Agency was sentenced Thursday to 16 months in federal prison for stealing $232,000 over six years. Amy Belz, 34, who is free on bond while she awaits a date to report to prison, tearfully apologized to the judge and her family during the sentencing hearing. She cited the effect on her two daughters. "Because of me, their lives were turned upside down," Belz said. In handing…

(Source: kens5.com) SAN ANTONIO – The embattled executive director of the Housing Authority of Bexar County has resigned, months after a federal audit found the agency misused more than $583,000 in funds. Albert “Buddy” Aleman resigned Aug. 19, effective immediately, a county spokeswoman said. Aleman’s resignation comes less than two months after Judge Nelson Wolff publicly called for his dismissal, and while the agency actively looked to find…

WASHINGTON – Edward Dacy, 77, most recently of West Melbourne, Fla., was sentenced today to six years in prison on charges stemming from a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme involving 45 properties and $16 million in mortgage loans used for the purchase of residential real estate in the District of Columbia and Maryland. The sentencing was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr.; Olga Acevedo, Special…

(Source: Pacific Daily News) Federal subpoenas were delivered Friday to the Guam Housing and Renewal Authority’s main office, GHURA management confirmed Monday. Albert Santos, GHURA’s interim executive director while Mike Duenas is off island, said while he can confirm subpoenas were served, he couldn’t disclose who was subpoenaed and what information was sought. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., issued the subpoenas,…

(Source: Miami Herald) The Miami-based Carlisle Development Group, once the state’s biggest developer of affordable housing, had a reputation for building some of South Florida’s finest low-income apartments — including a tower in the historic black neighborhood of Overtown with after-school care and computer labs. What no one knew was that its once-lauded leaders, principals Matthew Greer and Lloyd Boggio, stole tens of millions of dollars in…

NEWARK N.J. – A Nutley, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for his role in a massive mortgage fraud scheme involving multiple properties in Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Kenneth Sweetman, 34, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. Judge…

CHICAGO—A west suburban real estate broker was sentenced today to 16 months in federal prison for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme involving a pair of Chicago apartment buildings. GEORGE DRAVILAS, 37, of Medinah, pleaded guilty in February to one count of bank fraud. In addition to the prison term, United States District Judge Gary Feinerman ordered Dravilas to pay $463,110 in restitution. Judge Feinerman ordered Dravilas to begin serving…

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MALGORZATA KARAS-GOLKA, also known as “Margaret,” 46, of Newington, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for her role in an extensive mortgage fraud conspiracy.  She was also ordered to pay $166,500 in restitution. According to court documents and…

St. Louis, MO – John York was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States through his business, The Mortgage Store, Inc., in 2008. According to court documents, York was a part owner of The Mortgage Store, Inc. (TMS) and the president of Title America. By 2008, TMS was a major mortgage brokering business with offices in four states and hundreds of employees. The main offices were in Westport…

Earlier today, federal agents arrested Stacey Stackhouse, the former executive director of Village of Hempstead Housing Authority (VHHA) and James Alimonos, Michael Lambros, and Demetrios Kaouris, who performed construction work for the agency, for their involvement in a wire fraud conspiracy in connection with the theft of federal funds. The defendants are scheduled to appear this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge A. Kathleen…

A former Chelsea Housing Authority manager and a consultant face possible prison sentences after being found guilty on Wednesday of conspiring to defraud the government by rigging biennial federal inspections of apartments to make sure the housing agency received a high performance rating. “This ends another chapter in holding accountable those who engaged in the extensive abuse of the public trust at the housing authority,” said Thomas K.…

WASHINGTON – Edward Dacy, 76, most recently of West Melbourne, Fla., has been found guilty by a jury of 10 counts of conspiracy, bank fraud, and mail fraud stemming from a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme involving 45 properties and $16 million in mortgage loans used for the purchase of residential real estate in the District of Columbia and Maryland. The verdict, returned March 25, 2015, was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent…

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Edgar Tibakweitira, a/k/a “Edgar Julian,” “Charles Edgar Tibakweitira,” and “Edgar Gaudious Tibakweitira,” age 46, of Severn, Maryland,  today to 57 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, arising from a residential mortgage fraud scheme.  Judge Hazel also ordered Tibakweitira…

The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority paid $211,216 for outside legal services that should have been performed by the authority’s in-house lawyer, according to a federal audit that was undertaken a year ago in response to an anonymous hotline complaint. The audit renewed tenant claims that the authority wastes money on outside law firms, money that could be better spent providing services to residents. However, in response to that same…

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Alberic Okou Agodio, age 30, of Bethesda, Maryland, on charges arising from a mortgage fraud scheme in which he used the names of immigrants and students, along with false financial information, to obtain approximately $3.8 million in home mortgage loans to buy approximately three dozen row houses in Baltimore, all of which are in default or foreclosure. The indictment was returned on…

The Dutchess County developer who launched Vineyard Commons in Highland but later declared bankruptcy will be arraigned in federal district court in White Plains today, Tuesday, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Herbert Hadad. Michael Barnett of Hopewell Junction is accused by federal prosecutors of taking kickbacks and inflating invoices as part of a scheme to fraudulently obtain loans insured by the U.S. Department of Housing…

NEW HAVEN, CT—A property manager and real estate agent was sentenced today to 22 months in prison for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme arising from the purchases of more than 40 properties in New Haven, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced today. Menachem Yosef Levitin (a/k/a Joseph), 29, of New Haven, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall on July 5, 2012, to an information charging him with conspiracy…

STATESVILLE, N.C. B Roger Dean Bailey, Jr., 41, or Hickory, N.C. was sentenced to 30 months in prison today for his role in a mortgage and consumer fraud conspiracy involving manufactured and modular homes, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Richard L. Voorhees also ordered Bailey to serve two years under court supervision and to pay restitution, the amount of which will be…

WASHINGTON –   Edward Dacy, 76, of West Melbourne, Fla., and A. Conrad Austin, 49, of Bowie, Md., have been indicted on conspiracy, bank fraud, and other federal charges stemming from a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme in which they are accused of assisting their co-conspirators to defraud banks and mortgage lenders through the purchase of residential real estate in the District of Columbia and Maryland. The…

A former city of Dallas employee who admitted to hindering a federal investigation and trading housing for sex, among other things, will spend 15 months behind bars, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office this morning. Lawrence Hart has also been ordered to pay back $8,619. From 2012 until last year, Hart worked for the city’s Housing Department as a caseworker for Project Reconnect, which uses federal dollars to help the formerly incarcerated…