After More Than 6 Years, the City of New Orleans’ National Disaster Resilience Project Activities Made Little Impact on Resilience
WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued an audit report examining the City of New Orleans’ (the City) use of HUD’s National Disaster Resilience grant funding. HUD’s program is designed to help state and local communities recover from past disasters, while also improving their infrastructure to withstand future extreme events through strategic community…
Press release
March 13, 2024
DiNapoli: Former West Carthage Housing Authority Executive Director and Mother Arrested
Executive Director Used Housing Authority Funds for Personal Expenses Throughout Entire Tenure.New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Jefferson County District Attorney Kristyna S. Mills, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General (HUD OIG), and the New York State Police today announced the arrests of former Executive Director of the West Carthage Housing Authority (WCHA) Jan Hoffman for allegedly stealing…
Press release
March 13, 2024
Former Chairman of the Village of Hempstead Housing Authority Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Fraud and Corruption
Cornell Bozier Steered Over $800,000 in Construction Contracts to Co-Conspirator Controlled Companies in Exchange for Kickback PaymentsEarlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Cornell Bozier, the former Chairman of the Board of Commissioners (Board) at the Village of Hempstead Housing Authority (VHHA) was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and…
Press release
March 11, 2024
Suburban Chicago Businessman Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Evading $3.7 Million in Income Taxes
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago businessman has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for willfully evading more than $3.7 million in federal and state income taxes.ABRAHAM KISWANI 54, of Burbank, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to a federal tax evasion charge. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah on Thursday fined Kiswani $10,000.Kiswani served as the president of World Security Bureau, a Chicago-area…
Press release
March 11, 2024
Justice Department Sues New Mexico Property Manager for Sexually Harassing Tenants
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against Ariel Solis Veleta, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, for sexually harassing female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Solis was employed as a leasing agent and property manager at St. Anthony Plaza Apartments in Albuquerque between 2010 and 2022.The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, alleges that between 2010 and 2022, Solis requested sex acts…
Press release
March 06, 2024
Man Indicted and Arrested for Child Exploitation
FBI continues with the investigation and is searching for possible victims.SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Ángel Alexis Vázquez Sánchez, 25, of Jayuya, PR, for child exploitation.According to court documents, from December 2021 throughout May 2023, Ángel Alexis Vázquez Sánchez sexually exploited four different minor females, between the ages of 12 and 16, with the intent…
Press release
March 05, 2024
Disbarred Real Estate Attorney Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Millions from Clients
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. …
Press release
March 05, 2024
Defendant Sentenced for Fraud at South Bend Housing Authority
SOUTH BEND –Douglas Donley, 42 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge Jon E. DeGuilio, after being found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and one count of bank fraud on November 1, 2023, following an eight-day jury trial, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.Donley was sentenced to 27 months in prison, 2 years of supervised release, and…
News
February 29, 2024
Defendant Sentenced for Fraud at South Bend Housing Authority
SOUTH BEND –Douglas Donley, 42 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge Jon E. DeGuilio, after being found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and one count of bank fraud on November 1, 2023, following an eight-day jury trial, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.Donley was sentenced to 27 months in prison, 2 years of supervised release, and…
Press release
February 29, 2024
Local Non-Profit Director Charged in Pernicious “Deed Fraud” Scheme Targeting Low Income Detroiters
DETROIT – Zina Thomas, 60, of Detroit was charged in a criminal complaint filed in United States District Court for her role orchestrating a fraud scheme that stole houses from dozens of Detroit residents, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.Ison was joined in the announcement by Special Agent-in-Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Special Agent-in-Charge Machelle L. Jindra, Department of Housing and Urban…
Press release
February 28, 2024
Cincinnati woman pleads guilty to making false racial discrimination claims against landlord to federal agents
CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati tenant pleaded guilty in federal court today to making false statements accusing her landlord of violating the Fair Housing Act.Dermisha Pickett, 33, fabricated messages from her landlord stating the landlord did not want Black tenants.According to court documents, in February 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office was forwarded several text messages purportedly sent by the Cincinnati-area landlord as part of a civil rights…
News
February 20, 2024
HUD Lacked Adequate Oversight of Multifamily Housing Properties with Failing REAC Scores or Life‐Threatening Deficiencies
WASHINGTON DC—The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report assessing HUD’s oversight of multifamily housing properties with failing Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) scores or life-threatening deficiencies.HUD relies on contractors to periodically inspect multifamily properties using standards established by REAC to ensure that HUD-assisted or Federal Housing Administration (FHA…
Press release
February 16, 2024
Former Chatham Housing Executive Sentenced
GREENSBORO – A Durham, North Carolina woman was sentenced today to 30 months in prison, after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud that victimized the Chatham County Housing Authority, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).JOANN JOHNSON DAVIS, age 65, was sentenced to a 30-month term of imprisonment and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $194,136 by the…
Press release
February 08, 2024
New Mexico Landlords to Pay $42,000 to Resolve Alleged Tenant Abuses Arising from HUD’s Section 8 Low-income Housing Program
ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Bertrand Nelson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Southcentral Region, announced today that landlords for properties located in Roswell and Albuquerque paid $30,000 and $12,000, respectively to settle allegations that they violated the anti-fraud False Claims Act by charging…
Press release
February 08, 2024
HUD OIG Initiates Audit of the New York City Housing Authority’s Fraud Risk Management Practices
Read Work Start Notification WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced an audit to assess the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) processes for identifying and preventing fraud. NYCHA provides housing assistance to over 500,000 New York residents and it is the largest public housing authority in the United States. HUD provides NYCHA with…
Press release
February 07, 2024
70 Current And Former NYCHA Employees Charged With Bribery And Extortion Offenses
In the Largest Number of Federal Bribery Charges on a Single Day in DOJ History, 70 Current and Former Employees of the NYCHA Have Been Charged with Allegedly Accepting Cash Payments from Contractors in Exchange for Awarding NYCHA ContractsDamian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Jocelyn E. Strauber, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”); Ivan J. Arvelo, the Special…
Press release
February 06, 2024
Beckley Man Sentenced for Federal Fraud Crime
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…
Press release
February 02, 2024
Siemens Industry, Inc., to Pay Over $1 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Related to Public Housing Contract
DETROIT – Siemens Industry, Inc., a subsidiary of Siemens Corporation, has agreed to pay over $1 million to resolve possible False Claims Act violations, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.Ison was joined in the announcement by Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.Siemens Industry, Inc., on behalf of itself and predecessor entity Siemens Building Technologies, Inc. (Siemens…
Press release
February 01, 2024
Former Board Member of Failed Washington Federal Bank in Chicago Sentenced to Prison for Falsifying Records and Obstructing Regulators
CHICAGO — A former board member of the failed Washington Federal Bank for Savings in Chicago was sentenced today to 18 months in federal prison for conspiring to falsify bank records to deceive the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and for filing false tax returns.WILLIAM M. MAHON, 57, of Chicago, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy and tax charges. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall ordered…
Press release
January 31, 2024
Statement of Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis: Immediate Action is Needed from HUD Leadership to Resolve Systemic Challenges with Improper Payments
WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a management alert urging HUD leadership to address the Department’s longstanding challenges with identifying and preventing improper payments. For 11 consecutive years, HUD has been noncompliant with federal laws requiring agencies and departments to identify, report, and mitigate improper or unknown payments in their…
Press release
January 25, 2024