Investigation underway into possible misappropriation of funds at housing authority
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…
Article
August 28, 2017
HUD audit finds accounting deficiencies at West Warwick Housing Authority
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…
Article
August 24, 2017
HUD Must get Better at Stopping Section 8 Fraud
(source: thetimesherald.com) If true, the allegations against Lorena Loren, the former director of the St. Clair Housing Commission, are disturbing on a number of levels. Federal investigators allege Loren embezzled more than $300,000 from the housing commission between 2008 and 2016, when she retired.
Most heartbreaking is that the money that Loren allegedly misdirected into her own pockets and those of some of her family members was meant to…
Article
August 14, 2017
Former St. Clair Housing Official Charged with Fraud
(Source: thetimesherald.com) The St. Clair Housing Commission’s former executive director is facing a fraud charge for allegedly misusing federal rental assistance funds and commission credit cards to benefit herself and family members.
The charges allege Lorena Loren embezzled more than $300,000.
According to federal court documents filed Monday, Loren used Section 8 housing assistance payments to enter into fraudulent rental contracts…
Article
August 07, 2017
Former Ft. Myers Housing Director Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Thousands
Department of Justice
Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow
Middle District of Florida
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE …
Press release
August 01, 2017
Secret Meetings, Collusion Alleged
(Source: The Guam Daily Post) Six people who were on the board of federally funded Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority, and the agency's executive director, face a combined 47 misdemeanor charges for allegedly holding secret meetings that violate the Open Government Law.
The misdemeanor charges include violation of the law that requires keeping meetings open to the public, as well as official misconduct and conspiracy.
"Illegal secret…
Article
July 26, 2017
Newark Police Officer Admits Conspiracy To Commit Fraud Against Housing Assistance Program
NEWARK, N.J. – A Newark police officer today admitted conspiring to fraudulently obtain payments under the federal public housing assistance program known as “Section 8,” Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.
Luis Cancel, 50, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of agreeing with another individual to obtain Section 8 public housing…
Press release
July 24, 2017
South Texas housing authority travel costs probed
(SOurce: texasmonitor) Trips to Las Vegas and Denver, the rental of a beach house owned by a family member, and taxpayers footing the bill for duplicate travel costs were among the findings of a recent audit of the South Texas-based Weslaco Housing Authority.
The audit — conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — found that the housing authority paid its commissioners and employees for “ineligible, unreasonable,…
Article
July 10, 2017
Dallas Woman Sentenced to 12 Months and 1 Day in Federal Prison For Stealing Government Money
DALLAS — Tasha Lashaun Wilson, of Dallas, was sentenced last Friday by Chief U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn to serve a prison sentence of 12 months and one day for theft of government funds, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Wilson pleaded guilty in July 2015 to one count of theft of government money. Chief Judge Lynn ordered that Wilson be immediately remanded into federal custody at the conclusion…
Press release
July 04, 2017
OIG Releases Weslaco Housing Authority Audit Report
(Source: KRGV TV) WESLACO – The Weslaco Housing Authority is under a federal inspection. Federal auditors said the agency spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on unnecessary trips.
Federal authorities said they found more than $23,000 used the wrong way.
The Office of Inspector General’s audit claimed:
Expenses paid for a commissioner to attend a political conference that doesn’t have to do with public housing.
Expenses paid for another…
Article
June 29, 2017
Former Steel Valley Authority Financial Manager Indicted on Fraud Charges
PITTSBURGH – A Westmoreland County resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of bank fraud and mail fraud, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
The five-count indictment, returned on June 27, named Nicolette Gizzi, age 44, of North Huntingdon, PA as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, from December 2009 through approximately June 2016, Gizzi, who was employed as the Financial…
Press release
June 29, 2017
Taunton Woman Pleads Guilty to Social Security and Housing Assistance Fraud
BOSTON – A Taunton woman pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston today to 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, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of Supplemental Security Income fraud and one count of making false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled…
Press release
June 25, 2017
Alesia Watson Removed As Ocean City Housing Authority Director
(Source: Ocean City Patch) OCEAN CITY, NJ — Alesia Watson has been removed as the Executive Director of the Ocean City Housing Authority (OCHA). Watson, who pleaded guilty last week to embezzling between $6,500 and $15,000 in funds intended for use by OCHA from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was removed during OCHA’s meeting Tuesday night, according to published reports.
Ocean City has also terminated its shared…
Article
May 16, 2017
Executive Director of Ocean City, New Jersey, Housing Authority Admits Embezzling Federal Funds
CAMDEN, N.J. – The executive director of the Ocean City, New Jersey, Housing Authority (OCHA) today admitted 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, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court to an information charging her…
Press release
May 07, 2017
Former Framingham Housing Authority Employee Sentenced For Embezzling Rent Payments
BOSTON – A Milford woman was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with embezzling over $70,000 in rent payments owed to the Framingham Housing Authority (FHA).
Rosa A. Famania, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris to five months in prison and three years of supervised release. In addition, Famania must complete five months in a residential or inpatient substance abuse facility upon her…
Press release
May 02, 2017
East Chicago Contractor Indicted on Counterfeit Charges
(Source: The Times) HAMMOND — A contractor hired in 2013 to improve Gary Housing Authority properties was indicted last week on charges alleging he provided counterfeit financial documents to secure the $347,950 contract.
Ashley D. Dunlap, 54, of East Chicago, faces two counts of counterfeiting securities of a private entity, according to U.S. District Court records.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in July 2013 approved…
Article
April 30, 2017
East Chicago Man Indicted for Using Counterfeit Securities to Defraud Gary Housing Authority
HAMMOND- Acting United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson announced an indictment charging Ashley D. Dunlap, 54, of East Chicago, Indiana with two counts of uttering a counterfeit security.
The indictment alleges, in July 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development approved federal funding for building renovations at the Delaney and Dorie Miller public housing projects operated by Gary Housing Authority (GHA). Dunlap’s…
Press release
April 30, 2017
Feds say Jasper Housing Director abused capacity, misused equipment and money
(Source: kjas.com) Federal authorities have announced that they have just completed an investigation of The Jasper Housing Authority and its executive director, John Molt, and the feds say they have discovered a pattern of abuse of capacity, misused equipment, and over $91,000.00 in misused funds, and they say they’re demanding that it all be paid back.
In a report released by the Office of the Inspector General of the United States…
Article
April 30, 2017
Former Housing Authority CFO Pleads Guilty
Source: victoriaadvocate.com
By Jessica Priest
April 4, 2017 at 10:42 p.m.
Updated April 5, 2017 at 6 a.m
Upcoming court dates for other defendants
Debra Smith Gillespie, former executive director, May 3
Roger Earl Clark, maintenance director, May 1
David Keith Norrell, contractor, May 1
Robert Berry, contractor, May 15
Terre Horvath-Berry, wife of Robert Berry, May 15
One of six people charged with stealing from the Victoria Housing…
Article
April 09, 2017
Former GHURA Employee Sentenced for Receiving Bribes
(Source: www.guampdn.com) A judge sentenced a former employee of the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority to 1 year and 1 day in prison for accepting bribes, but she will only spend 30 days behind bars.
Antonia Mayo-San Nicolas admitted to taking bribes from tenants to qualify them for the federally-funded Section 8 housing program when she was a housing specialist for GHURA. Court documents state she took bribes between September 2014 and…
Article
April 04, 2017