In response to a request from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), we audited Cypress Ridge Apartments' use of HUD-insured mortgage loan proceeds and property operating funds governed by a regulatory agreement. William Commercial Property Management (agent) was the management agent and general contractor for the multifamily rehabilitation project under taken with funding insured under Section 221 (d)(4) of the…

In response to requests from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Senator James Inhofe, we audited the property owner's application and the loan processing and underwriting of the HUD-insured mortgage loan to Greystone Apartments, Inc., for Cypress Ridge Apartments. Harry Mortgage Company, the lender, processed and recommended loan approval under the multifamily accelerated processing (MAP) program. The audit…

We performed an audit of the Orchard Court project, a Section 236 multifamily property, located in Bath, Maine. As part of our audit, we reviewed subsidy payments made to Orchard Court from Bath and Brunswick, Maine, Housing Authorities (Authorities). Our objective was to determine whether Section 8 voucher program subsidies paid to Orchard Court from the Authorities were for basic rent, rather than market rent. Basic rent is the minimum rent a…

We audited the Orchard Court project, located in Bath, Maine, in response to a referral received by the Office of Inspector General's (OIG) Office of Investigation (Region 1). The referral indicated a potential inappropriate use of project funds by the Orchard Court Housing Corporation (project owner) and/or the management agent. Our overall objective was to determine whether the project owner and/or management agents operated the project…

We audited the City of Tulsa's (City) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program due to a departmental request. Our initial objective was to determine whether the City expended CDBG funds in accordance with U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rules and regulations. Based upon the initial results, we modified the objective to determine whether the City ensured that its largest subrecipient, the Tulsa Development…

We audited the HOME Investment Partnerships program (HOME) administered by the Maine State Housing Authority, Augusta, Maine (Authority), as part of our annual audit plan. The Authority received more than $21 million in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding for its federal HOME program from 2005 to 2007. Our audit objective was to determine whether the Authority administered its HOME program in compliance with HUD…

At the request of HUD, we audited Green River Management, Inc., (Green River) which managed the Housing Authorities of the City of Konawa, City of Langston, City of Pauls Valley, City of Wynnewood, Town of Cheyenne, and Caddo Electric Cooperative. Our objective was to determine whether the housing authorities appropriately procured Green River as their management agent, maintained properties, and carried out their financial responsibilities in…

Kelly Ballinger wrote her name on rent payments, altered renters’ incomes to steal fundsPORTLAND, Maine: A Glenburn woman pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland to embezzling from an organization receiving federal funds and conspiring to alter money orders.According to court records, Kelly Ballinger, 57, was a former property manager for a Portland apartment complex with residences funded by the Department of Housing and Urban…

OKLAHOMA CITY – Earlier this week, a criminal indictment was unsealed charging six Oklahoma residents with fraudulently obtaining nearly $1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. On August 16, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a sealed, 28-count indictment against MARQUITA DESHAWN SHAW, 39, and AMIE STREET, 39, both of Lawton, Oklahoma, and COREY DONTA SHAW, 40, ERIC…

BOSTON – A Maine woman pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing federal housing benefits from at least December 2004 through February 2020.  Rebecca Amelia Cranford, 63, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Aug. 17, 2023. Cranford was arrested and charged in September 2021.   In the early 2000s, Cranford was engaged by the owners of a…

PORTLAND, Maine: A Berwick woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for Social Security fraud and theft of public money. Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Andreanna Politano, 60, to three years of probation. She was also ordered to pay $49,976.38 in restitution to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and $9,164.00 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).…

PORTLAND, Maine: A Berwick woman pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to Social Security fraud and theft of public money, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced. According to court records, from about March 2009 to February 2020, Andreanna Politano, 59, concealed the presence of her husband in her household to maintain her eligibility to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. SSI benefits are paid…

Charley Rember, Jr.,52, former Executive Director of Madill Housing Authority in Madill, Oklahoma, was sentenced on January 26, 2022, to 8 years in prison (2 years suspended) and ordered to pay more than $477,000 in restitution and fines for embezzlement of over $450,000 of government money to support his gambling habit. The sentencing was announced by Judge Wallace Coppedge, District Court of Marshall County, Oklahoma. The case was…