We audited the City of Modesto’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.  We selected the City based on a hotline complaint (HC-2017-2082) regarding the City’s rehabilitation program and the U.S. Department of Housing Development’s (HUD) and the HUD Office of Inspector General’s risk assessments.  The objective of the audit was to determine whether the City used CDBG funds in accordance with HUD requirements, focusing on its…

We audited the City of Moreno Valley’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, based on a referral from the Office of the Inspector General’s Los Angeles Office of Investigation, identifying the concerns of the Los Angeles Office of Community Planning and Development that the City did not properly charge salaries to the CDBG code enforcement program.  The objective of our audit was to determine whether the City correctly…

We audited the City of South Gate’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.  We selected the City based on our risk analysis of Los Angeles area grantees and prior monitoring concerns identified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with the City’s code enforcement activities.  The objective of the audit was to determine whether the City administered its CDBG funds in accordance with HUD requirements…

We audited the County of San Diego’s Continuum of Care program funds received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  We audited the County because HUD had not reviewed its Continuum of Care grant program in more than 10 years and as a spinoff of an audit of a County subgrantee, Mental Health Systems, Inc. (2017-LA-1003, issued June 2, 2017).  Our audit objective was to determine whether the County…

We audited the Town of Apple Valley’s Community Development Block Grant program due to a hotline complaint (HC-2016-2372) alleging that the Town did not use its program funds in accordance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program regulations and requirements.  Specifically, the complainant wrote a letter to the previous HUD Secretary alleging that the Town misused program funds.  Our audit objective was to…

We audited the Chukchansi Indian Housing Authority (Authority) Indian Housing Block Grant program due to a hotline complaint.  The complaint alleged that the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians (tribe) had overstated tribal enrollment numbers to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), resulting in its tribally designated housing entity, the Chukchansi Indian Housing Authority, receiving more funding than it should…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General, assisted the U.S. Department of Justice Washington D.C., and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices of the Northern District of Georgia and Northern District of California, in the civil investigation of Prospect Mortgage, LLC. Based in part on our review, the Federal Government alleged that Prospect violated the False Claims Act when it originated and underwrote…

We audited the City of Fresno’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.  We selected the City based on prior findings identified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and continuing issues with the program.  The objective of the audit was to determine whether the City administered its CDBG funds in accordance with HUD requirements, focusing on code enforcement, antigraffiti, and after school program…

We audited the City of Huntington Park’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.  We selected the City based on the high risk assessment score and prior findings identified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  The objective of the audit was to determine whether the City administered its CDBG funds in accordance with HUD requirements, focusing on grant expenditures and procurement.  The City…

We audited Cypress Meadows Assisted Living based on a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Departmental Enforcement Center, referral.  The referral asserted that the owner took distributions from Cypress Meadows for expenses other than the operation and maintenance of the project.  Our objective was to determine whether Cypress Meadows was managed in accordance with its regulatory and operating agreements and HUD…

We audited Mental Health Systems, Inc.’s (MHS) Supportive Housing Program and Continuum of Care direct grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  We audited MHS as the result of requests from HUD, prompted by a media report and the County of San Diego’s review of MHS in response to whistleblower accusations of improprieties.  The accusations centered on MHS drawing government funds in advance and…

We audited the Inglewood Housing Authority (Authority) based upon issues with participant eligibility identified during our previous review of the financial operations of the Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher program, audit report 2016-LA-1013.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the Authority ensured that participants were eligible to receive housing assistance in accordance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development…

We audited the Inglewood Housing Authority’s financial management of its Housing Choice Voucher program due to a hotline complaint allegation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Los Angeles Office of Public Housing’s concerns about the Authority’s financial management of its program.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the Authority managed the financial operations of its program in compliance with HUD…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), conducted a civil fraud review of an alleged loan origination fraud scheme involving borrowers purchasing a home in which the loan was insured under HUD’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA) program.  The alleged scheme involved the submission of a false loan application to obtain an FHA-insured loan on a home in San Diego, CA.  FHA…

We audited the City of Huntington Beach’s Community Development Block Grant program due to issues identified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Los Angeles Office of Community Planning and Development.  In addition, Office of Inspector General (OIG) data analytics identified timeliness issues with the use of program funding.  We also selected the City because it had not been audited by OIG.  Our…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), OIG referred alleged violations to HUD’s Office of Program Enforcement for action under the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act based on an audit of Shea Mortgage that found it did not follow HUD requirements when it underwrote loans that had executed and recorded agreements containing prohibited restrictive covenants.  HUD’s Office of Program…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), assisted the Office of Program Enforcement in the investigation of Land Home Financial Services, Inc. to determine whether it violated HUD requirements when underwriting loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).  Land Home is an FHA mortgage lender, located in Concord, CA.    Based in part on OIG’s review, HUD…

We reviewed Sun West Mortgage Company’s loan underwriting activities, including quality controls, based on a citizen complaint alleging that the mortgage company was deficient in underwriting its loans.  The complaint further alleged that the mortgage company used unauthorized staff in another country and shared user identification numbers to “pre-underwrite” Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured loans.  Our objective was to…

We audited the Dolores Frances Affordable Housing project, based on a citizen complaint and a suggestion from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Departmental Enforcement Center.  The complaint alleged nonpayment of HUD utility allowances and security deposits, mismanagement of the maintenance department, related parties hired in supervisory positions, and conflict-of-interest vendor contracts by the related party…

We audited the Dolores Frances Affordable Housing project, based on a citizen complaint and a suggestion from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Departmental Enforcement Center.  The complaint alleged nonpayment of HUD utility allowances and security deposits, mismanagement of the maintenance department, related parties hired in supervisory positions, and conflict-of-interest vendor contracts by the related party…