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…

(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…

(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…

Department of Justice Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow Middle District of Florida FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                            …

(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…

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…

(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,…

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…

(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…

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…

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…

(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…

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…

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…