We audited the mortgage origination and business practices of the First Magnus Financial Corporation’s (First Magnus) corporate office in Tucson, Arizona. The objective of the audit was to determine whether First Magnus violated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements by paying builders and real estate companies marketing fees and non-competition fees in exchange for the referral of Federal Housing Administration (…

We audited the mortgage origination and business practices of First Magnus Financial Corporation’s (First Magnus) corporate office in Tucson, Arizona. The objective of the audit was to determine whether First Magnus violated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements by paying its brokers volume-based incentives for originating and processing Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages. We determined that First…

We audited the City of Phoenix Housing Department’s (Housing Department) Housing Choice Voucher program. We conducted the audit as part of the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) annual plan. The Housing Department was selected for review because it is the largest housing authority in the state of Arizona and had not previously been audited by OIG. The objective of the audit was to determine whether the Housing Department supported tenant…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Office of Inspector General audited Cook County's (County) HOME Investment Partnerships Program (Program). The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2007 annual audit plan. We selected the County based upon our analysis of risk factors relating to Program grantees in Region V's jurisdiction. Our audit objectives were to determine whether the County…

We audited the Housing Authority of the City of Eloy (Authority) because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) had rated the Authority as troubled for five years. In 2007, the Authority had significant financials problems and terminated its executive director. We determined that the Authority did not have adequate internal controls to safeguard assets and reasonably ensure that HUD funds were used in accordance with…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Office of Inspector General audited the Peoria Housing Authority's (Authority) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program (program). The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2007 annual audit plan. We selected the Authority based upon our analysis of risk factors relating to the housing agencies in Region V's jurisdiction. Our objective was to determine…

We audited the Benton Harbor Housing Commission's (Commission) Public Housing Captial Fund program (program). The audit was conducted based upon a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Detroit Office of Public Housing. Our objectives were to determine whether the Commission operated its program in a manner that provides reasonable assurance that (1) expenditures were adequately supported and eligible and (2)…

We audited the Housing Authority of the City of Gary's (Authority) Section 8 housing program. The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2005 annual audit plan. We selected the Authority based upon a risk analysis the identified it as having a high risk Section 8 housing program. The objective of the audit was to determine whether the Authority managed its Section 8 program in accordance with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban…

We audited the Kankakee County Housing Authority's (Authority) Low-Rent Housing Program. The audit was conducted in response to a citizen's complaint to our office and was part of our comprehensive audit of the Authority. The object of our audit was to determine whether the Authority administered its Low-Rent Housing program in an efficient and effective manner. We determined whether the Authority had adequate procedures and controls over its…

We completed an audit of the Kankakee Count Housing Authority's Section 8 Housing Program. The audit was conducted based upon a citizen's complaint to our Office. The objectives of our audit were to determine where the Authority: (1) administered its Section 8 Program in an efficient and effective manner; and (2) provided decent, safe, and sanitary housing for its Section 8 tenants. This audit is part of our on-going comprehensive audit of the…

CHICAGO — A Chicago businessman was sentenced today to more than 17 years in federal prison for bilking elderly homeowners in a reverse mortgage and home repair scheme.MARK STEVEN DIAMOND schemed with others to induce homeowners to unwittingly obtain reverse mortgage loans to pay for purported home repairs that Diamond offered to perform.  Diamond and the co-schemers targeted elderly victims in the Chicago area based on the amount of equity…

CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for orchestrating a mortgage fraud scheme in Chicago that bilked multiple financial institutions out of more than $1.5 million.LEE HOLLIDAY, 66, of Schererville, Ind., pleaded guilty last year to a federal bank fraud charge.  U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis on Friday sentenced Holliday to three years and three months in federal prison.Holliday admitted in a plea…

CHICAGO — A federal jury in Chicago has convicted a loan originator of orchestrating a mortgage fraud scheme that bilked multiple financial institutions out of $2.6 million.KEVIN SMITH, 52, of Melrose Park, Ill., was found guilty on Sept. 6, 2024, of all five bank fraud counts against him.  Each count is punishable by up to 30 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge John F. Kness set sentencing for Dec. 17, 2024.Smith was a loan…

CHICAGO — A former attorney has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for embezzlement and fraud in connection with the failure of Washington Federal Bank for Savings in Chicago.ROBERT M. KOWALSKI served a key role in an embezzlement scheme at Washington Federal.  The bank, which was based in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, was shut down in 2017 after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency determined that it was insolvent…