We audited the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority’s Non-Federal Match Program for Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds.  This Match Program was developed to assist non-Federal entities in paying for their share of projects that addressed unmet needs because of the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria.  We initiated this audit due to the $415 million of CDBG-DR funds allocated by the Authority and to…

We audited the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority’s monitoring of its Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR)-funded activities.  We initiated the audit because of the large amount of CDBG-DR funds awarded to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the 2017 disasters and to aid in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) strategic objective to support effectiveness and accountability in long-term disaster…

An independent public accountant performed audits of the Willow Run (FHA no. 092-44100) and Willow Run II (FHA no. 092-35650) multifamily properties for the years 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 under the name of The Blackwing Group, LLC.  According to the Minnesota Board of Accountancy, neither the independent public accountant nor The Blackwing Group, LLC, had ever been licensed to perform public accounting engagements in the State of…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), assisted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota in a civil investigation of Willow Run Partners L.P. and Willow Run II Partners L.P.  Willow Run Partners L.P. was the owner of Willow Run I Apartments, and Willow Run II Partners L.P. was the owner of Willow Run II Apartments.  Our investigation began as a result of a…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the Wyoming Community Development Authority of Casper, WY, for calendar years 2012-2015.  The audit was initiated based on concerns received from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) officials from the Office of Community Planning and Development program staff in Denver, CO.  The objectives of the audit were to determine…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the Evanston Wyoming Housing Authority’s public and Indian housing program funds for calendar years 2013-2015.  We initiated this audit in response to a hotline complaint.  The complaint alleged that the Authority used its purchase cards and laundry machine program income to pay for personal expenses, such as remodeling of staff members’…

We audited the Virgin Islands Housing Authority’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program’s housing quality standards as part of the activities in our fiscal year 2015 audit plan.  We selected the Authority because it had a large program receiving more than $14 million in 2014. Our audit objective was to determine whether the Authority’s inspection process adequately ensured that its units complied with housing quality standards. The…

We audited Virgin Islands Community AIDS Resource & Education, Inc.’s (VICARE) Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program.  This audit was the result of a referral from the San Juan Office of Community Planning and Development.  The objective of the audit was to determine whether VICARE spent HOPWA funds in accordance with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements and for eligible…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the State of Wyoming’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program run by the Wyoming Business Council.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the State reimbursed only approved costs, its grant agreements contained all required language, it properly monitored its projects, and it ensured that projects met the national objective in…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited the Wyoming Housing Opportunities Association (Association) based on information obtained during a separate audit of the Wyoming Community Development Authority (State Finance Agency), which indicated that 51 Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages with the same borrower had defaulted.  The purpose of our audit was to determine whether…

We reviewed the administration of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Loss Mitigation Program at the Wyoming Community Development Authority, located in Casper, WY.  Our objective was to determine whether the Authority properly administered HUD’s Loss Mitigation Program for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgages.  We selected the Authority based on its high rate of foreclosure claims.  Its…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General is conducting an audit of the Wyoming Housing Opportunities Association. We are auditing the Wyoming Housing Opportunities Association based on information obtained during our audit of the Wyoming Community Development Authority that 51 Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages by this same borrower had defaulted.  The audit objective is to determine…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Inspector General audited the Public Housing Agency of the City of Saint Paul’s (Agency) Section 8 Project-Based Voucher program (program). The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2009 annual audit plan. We selected the Agency’s program based upon our internal audit survey of HUD’s oversight of the program and our analysis of risk factors relating to the…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General audited First National Bank of Gillette, Wyoming, a Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-approved direct endorsement lender, to determine whether it properly processed insured loans and to determine whether its quality control plan met the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) requirements. First National Bank did not follow HUD…

HUD-OIG reviewed the Cheyenne Housing Authority's (Authority) administration and management contract with Housing Operations and Management, Incorporated (contractor), to determine whether the Authority awarded the contract in accordance with federal procurement requirements. The Authority did not follow federal procurement requirements and its own procurement policy when it awarded its administration and management contract to the contractor.…

St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Department of Education Director of Maintenance, Davidson Charlemagne, 50, and his wife Sasha Charlemagne, 44, both of St. Croix, were arrested after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the pair with government program fraud, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. The indictment also charges former Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority (“VIHFA”)…

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two Nigerian nationals have been sentenced to prison, probation, and owe over $500,000 in restitution for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from victims in romance fraud schemes, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, beginning in 2016 through 2019, Charles Emeka Obije, 41, used fictitious identities to contact victims throughout the United States, including Minnesota, via email…

MINNEAPOLIS – An Albert Lea woman has been sentenced to a year and one day in prison, three years of supervised release, and is required to pay $213,217 in restitution for stealing public housing rent payments, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, between January 2010 and July 18, 2018, Marcie Marie Thumann, 45, worked as a bookkeeper for the Albert Lea Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA), a government…