We audited the Housing Authority of Baltimore City's (Authority) administration of its leased housing under its Moving to Work Demonstration (Moving to Work) program based on our analysis of various risk factors relating to the housing authorities under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Baltimore field office. This is the second audit report issued on the Authority's program. The…

We audited the State of Maryland's (State) HOME Investment Partnerships program (HOME) as part of our annual audit plan. We chose to audit the State's HOME-assisted single-family owner-occupied rehabilitation program based on deficiencies identified in a sample of work-write ups reviewed during a previous review of the State's HOME program. This audit is the second phase of our review of the State's HOME program. Our overall…

We reviewed the use of contract fee inspectors by the Office of Multifamily Housing Boston Hub (Boston Hub) as part of our 2007 annual audit plan. This review was initiated because U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) staff rely on contract fee inspectors to oversee the work of contractors performing renovation work on HUD-insured properties. Our objective was to determine whether the Boston Hub effectively used contract fee…

We audited the Housing Authority of Baltimore City's (Authority) administration of its leased housing under its Moving to Work Demonstration (Moving to Work) program. We conducted the audit based on our analysis of various risk factors relating to the housing authorities under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Baltimore field office. This is the first of two audit reports to be issued on…

Attached is the report on our audit of the Holyoke Housing Authority's (Authority) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program , Audit Report Number 2008-BO-1002, dated November 26, 2007. We audited the Holyoke Housing Authority's (Authority) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program as part of our fiscal year 2007 audit plan. Our objectives were to determine whether the Authority's Section 8 housing units met…

We audited of the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts (City), Office of Community Development's administration of its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The objectives of the audit were to evaluate the City's administration of its public facilities and improvement activities funded through the CDBG program and its oversight and monitoring of CDBG funds it provided to the City's Parks and Recreation Department and…

We audited the Housing Choice Voucher program (Voucher program) at the Holyoke Housing Authority (Authority) as part of our fiscal year 2007 annual audit plan. The objective of the audit was to determine whether the Authority administered the Voucher program in accordance with its annual contributions contracts and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements. Our efforts focused on whether the Authority properly (1)…

We reviewed the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) programs administered by the Community Development Agency, City of Fall River, Massachusetts (City) as part of our annual audit plan. Our audit objective was to determine whether the City administered its CDBG and HOME programs in compliance with U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements. We focused on whether the City: (1…

As part of our annual plan, we audited the Office of Housing and Community Development, City of New Bedford, Massachusetts' (City) administration of its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) programs. Our audit objective was to determine whether the City complied with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations in administering its CDBG and HOME programs. The City generally…

As part of our annual plan, we audited the Office of Community Development, City of Chicopee, Massachusetts' (City) administration of its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME programs. The objective of the audit was to evaluate the City's administration of its housing rehabilitation contracts funded through the CDBG or HOME programs and its oversight and monitoring of various for-profit developers (developers) involved in…

Defendant alleged to have voted in the 2024 presidential election; lived under stolen identity for more than 20 years; obtained a Real ID; and improperly received more than $400,000 in stolen federal benefitsBOSTON – A Colombian woman, unlawfully residing in Boston, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for identity theft offenses, including receiving rental assistance, Social Security and SNAP benefits, as well as voter fraud under the…

Defendant allegedly received over $250,000 in housing benefitsBOSTON – A Colombian woman residing in Boston was arrested for identity theft offenses and stealing housing benefits.Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, 58, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of false representation of a Social Security number, one count of making a false statement in an application for a United States passport, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one…

BOSTON – A Quincy landlord has agreed to a settlement for a False Claims Act violation. Mario Bianco, 79, of Quincy has agreed to pay a $15,200 settlement for submitting false claims to the government after receiving side payments in excess of approved monthly rent from a low-income tenant participating in a federal housing subsidy program.The Federal Housing Choice Voucher Program, commonly referred to as “Section 8,” provides federal…

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Laurel, Maryland, has been sentenced in federal court to three years of probation and restitution of more than $50,000 following her conviction for theft of government funds from two federal agencies, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.Senior United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Briayell Moore, 43.In connection with Moore’s guilty plea, the Court was advised…

Program Focused on Eliminating Environmental Hazards and Combatting Sexual Misconduct in HUD-Assisted Housing.Baltimore, Maryland – United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis hosted a seminar today focused on promoting the health and safety of tenants living in HUD-assisted housing by focusing on eliminating environmental hazards…

Defendant purchased alpaca farm using fraudulently obtained pandemic relief funds BOSTON – A former North Shore resident was sentenced today in connection with filing fraudulent applications for more than $660,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan funds and using those funds for personal expenses, including the purchase of an alpaca farm in Vermont. Dana L. McIntyre, 59, of Grafton, Vt. and previously of Beverly and Essex, Mass., was…

BOSTON – An individual pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with fraudulently using the identity of a U.S. citizen. Alexander Villalona Diaz, 37, previously of Lawrence, pleaded guilty to one count of false representation of a Social Security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. Senior District Judge Mark L. Wolf scheduled sentencing for Dec. 4, 2023. In December 2020, Villalona Diaz was indicted by a…