We audited the Housing Choice Voucher Program at the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority because it was rated high risk on our risk assessment and due to the size of the Authority’s program.  It averaged 3,508 vouchers and more than $2.4 million in housing assistance payments monthly.  In addition, we had not audited the Authority’s program in the last 10 years.  The audit objective was to determine whether the Authority…

We audited the Fairmont-Morgantown Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher program because (1) we received a complaint alleging that the Authority did not follow program requirements, (2) the Authority administered 1,117 vouchers and received more than $5.2 million in funding for fiscal year 2016, and (3) we had not audited its program.  Our audit objectives were to determine whether the Authority ensured that its Housing Choice Voucher…

We audited the Fairmont-Morgantown Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher program because (1) we received a complaint alleging that the Authority did not follow program requirements, (2) the Authority administered 1,117 vouchers and received more than $5.2 million in funding for fiscal year 2016, and (3) we had not audited its program.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the Authority adequately administered its Housing…

We audited the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program based on a risk analysis of the Authority’s program that considered the amount of funding and the results of HUD monitoring reviews and because the Office of Inspector General had not reviewed the Authority’s HOME program within the past 10 years.  Our audit objective was to determine whether Authority officials administered the HOME program in…

We audited the State of Vermont, Department of Housing and Community Development’s disaster recovery programs.  We initiated this audit because of the significant funding awarded and the Boston Office of Community Planning and Development’s concerns about the State’s capacity to administer this funding.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the State administered its disaster recovery programs effectively and efficiently in…

We audited the Charleston-Kanawha Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher program because (1) it received more than $13.7 million in program funding in fiscal year 2012, (2) it is the largest assisted housing agency in the State of West Virginia, and (3) we had never audited its Housing Choice Voucher program.  The audit objectives were to determine whether the Authority ensured that its Housing Choice Voucher program units met U.S.…

We audited Mountain CAP of WV, Inc.’s administration of its Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program funds. We selected Mountain CAP for audit because of a complaint alleging that controls over its disbursements were weak. Our audit objective was to determine whether Mountain CAP maintained proper financial management of and accountability for its program to ensure that it used the funds according to the American Recovery and…

We audited the West Virginia Housing Development Fund’s (Fund) Tax Credit Assistance Program (Program) funds awarded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) due to a complaint from the Recovery and Transparency Board. We also audited the Fund’s Program because it was the only housing finance agency across the Nation that had not spent any of its Program funds. Our objective was to determine whether the Fund…

We audited New England Regional Mortgage Corporation (Corporation), a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) lender approved to underwrite and close mortgage loans without prior FHA review or approval. We selected the Corporation because its early payment default rate for insured single-family loans originated between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009, was significantly higher than the default rate in the local area in which it does business…

In accordance with our goal to review and ensure the proper administration of Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds provided under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) and/or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), we conducted a capacity review of the operations of the State of Vermont’s (State) Agency of Commerce and Community Development (Agency), which has responsibility for administering the State…

We completed our review of the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority's (Authority) cost allocation, operating reserves, and technology expenditures. We initiated this survey at the request of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Office of Public Housing. Our objective was to determine whether the Authority properly allocated costs, maintained appropriate reserves, and managed its technology equipment and…

Defendant Fraudulently Obtained $223,870 FHA-Insured Home MortgageHUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jason Trador, 46, of Scott Depot, was sentenced today to one year and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $65,302.16 in restitution for making a false statement to federal agents, willfully overvaluing property on a loan application, and three counts of making a false statement to the United States…

Defendant Fraudulently Obtained $223,870 FHA-Insured Home MortgageHUNTINGTON, W.Va. – After two days of trial, a federal jury convicted Jason Trador, 46, of Scott Depot, on April 10, 2024, of making a false statement to federal agents, willfully overvaluing property on a loan application, and three counts of making a false statement to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)Evidence at trial proved that Trador…

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Timothy Gross, 39, of Beckley, was sentenced today to five years of probation and ordered to pay $65,275.44 in restitution for wire fraud. Gross admitted to making a fraudulent payment with an employer-issued credit card as part of a scheme to divert $65,275.44 in credit card charges to his personal bank account.According to court documents and statements made in court, Gross was hired by Amerihost LLC in 2020 as a maintenance…

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Laquenta Lowe, 46, of Beckley, was sentenced today to five years of federal probation and ordered to pay $8,954.76 in restitution for conversion of public money exceeding $1,000. Lowe admitted to stealing at least $7,978.91 in federal funds while employed by the Raleigh County Housing Authority (RCHA). According to court documents and statements made in court, Lowe was chief financial officer and accountant for the RCHA from…

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Timothy Gross, 39, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud, admitting to making a fraudulent payment with an employer-issued credit card as part of a scheme to divert more than $65,000 in credit card charges to his personal bank account. According to court documents and statements made in court, Gross was hired by Amerihost LLC in 2020 as a maintenance worker for Beckley Town Homes, a multi-unit apartment building in…

BECKLEY, W.Va. Laquenta Lowe, 45, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to conversion of public money exceeding $1,000. Lowe admitted to stealing at least $7,978.91 in federal funds while employed by the Raleigh County Housing Authority (RCHA). According to court documents and statements made in court, Lowe was chief financial officer and accountant for the RCHA from July 1, 2018 through May 31, 2019. Lowe was executive director of the RCHA from…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Pamela McDaniel, 68, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to alteration of a postal money order, and admitted she used her position at the Charleston-Kanawha Housing Authority (CKHA) to obtain the money order and embezzle more than $28,000. According to court documents and statements made in court, McDaniel had been employed by CKHA since 2006 and was serving as a housing manager in 2018. As a housing manager, McDaniel’s…