NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced today to 17 years in prison for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and race-based interference with housing and employment.According to court documents, David L. Merryman, 59, owned 39 rental properties in Newport News and 23 more in Hampton.  Many of Merryman’s rental properties were in poor condition and located in low-income neighborhoods. He primarily rented the properties to…

RICHMOND, Va. – U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis hosted a Safe Housing Summit in Richmond on Sept. 16 focused on combatting sexual misconduct, promoting environmental justice, and protecting the civil rights of residents in HUD-assisted housing.The summit was attended by representatives from a number of organizations,…

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man pled guilty today to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and race-based interference with housing and employment.According to court documents, David L. Merryman, 59, owns 39 rental properties in Newport News and 23 more in Hampton.  Many of Merryman’s rental properties were in poor condition and located in low-income neighborhoods. He primarily rented the properties to underprivileged African American…

SAVANNAH, GA:  The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and its Office of Inspector General (HUD OIG) hosted a Savannah roundtable for community members and organizations as part of the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative.“Sexual harassment or abuse by a landlord is never acceptable,” said…

The Justice Department announced today that Iraj Shambayati, a landlord who owns and manages over 45 residential properties in and around Savannah, Georgia, has agreed to pay $600,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by sexually harassing and retaliating against his female tenants for over 15 years.“No female tenant should have to endure sexual harassment and abuse in the sanctity of her own home,” said…

ATLANTA - Matthew Allen Dickason, a disbarred attorney who was previously licensed to practice law in the State of Georgia, has been sentenced to federal prison for embezzling more than $3 million from his clients. Dickason used the money for personal purposes and created phony accounting records to cover up his theft.                                   …

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday against a Hampton-based landlord for using force and threats of force against African American victims, including a businessman, a city official in Newport News, and four tenants. The indictment further charged the landlord with defrauding tenants and the government to obtain rent relief benefits, housing assistance payments for public housing, and other funds to which he…

ATLANTA – U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis hosted a Safe Housing Summit on December 14, 2023, to promote health and safety for tenants living in HUD-assisted housing.“Our office is determined to address inequities in our district that exist in underserved communities who must heavily rely on HUD’s housing assistance programs,” said U.S. Attorney Buchanan…

MACON, Ga. – The former payroll clerk for the Milledgeville Housing Authority (MHA) has admitted she stole $575,000 by overpaying herself and entered a guilty plea in federal court today for her crime.Jennifer Kay Smith, 49, of Eatonton, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of federal program theft before U.S. District Senior Judge Marc Treadwell today. Smith faces a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment to be followed by three years of…

ATLANTA - Matthew Allen Dickason, who was the owner of an Atlanta law firm, has pleaded guilty to federal charges arising from a scheme to defraud the firm’s clients. “It is shameful for an attorney to abuse the trust placed in him by his clients, but that is exactly what Dickason did,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “He misappropriated millions of dollars belonging to his clients for his personal benefit with no regard for how his…

ATLANTA - Maurice Lawson has been sentenced to federal prison for obtaining nearly a half a million dollars by submitting multiple fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) applications. “Congress enacted the Paycheck Protection Program to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawson took advantage of a federal…

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Merrifield couple was sentenced today for stealing at least nine people’s identities and using the stolen personal identifying information (PII) to fraudulently buy a luxury vehicle, lease high-end residences, and obtain loans and credit. According to court documents, Caprice Foster, 51, and Marcus Foster, 33, stole the PII of numerous people primarily through Mrs. Foster’s work as a real estate agent and timeshare…

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Merrifield couple was sentenced today for stealing at least nine people’s identities and using the stolen personal identifying information (PII) to fraudulently buy a luxury vehicle, lease high-end residences, and obtain loans and credit. According to court documents, Caprice Foster, 51, and Marcus Foster, 33, stole the PII of numerous people primarily through Mrs. Foster’s work as a real estate agent and timeshare…

ATLANTA – Atlanta real estate agent Eric Hill has been sentenced for his participation in a mortgage fraud scheme that netted more than $21 million in fraudulent mortgage loans.  Many of the fraudulent loans were insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), resulting in over $850,000 in claims being paid for mortgages that have defaulted.  Hill also engaged in a scheme to defraud his employer, a national real estate developer,…

ATLANTA - Camelia Revels, a former case manager at HOPE Atlanta, and Katrise Jones, a property agent, have pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging them with conspiring to steal approximately $124,000 in federal funds intended to help homeless veterans. “The defendants betrayed the trust of veterans who came to them for help,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “The victims are men and women who sacrificed for their country…

ATLANTA – Twelve defendants have been charged in a mortgage fraud scheme allegedly spanning more than four years and resulting in the approval of more than 100 mortgages based on fabricated documents and false information.  Many of the loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) resulting in claims being paid for mortgages that have gone through loan modification. “These defendants allegedly used their knowledge of the…

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former government official agreed to pay $25,000 to resolve allegations that he had an improper conflict of interest with a company while he served as the Director of the Quality Assurance Division in the Office of Lender Activities and Program Compliance within the Federal Housing Administration at the United States Office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The United States alleges that Justin Burch, of Arlington, had…