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…

WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued an audit report about HUD’s compliance with the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA).  Congress enacted the PIIA in March 2020 to safeguard Federal funds by reducing payments made for an incorrect amount under statutory, contractual, administrative, or other legally applicable requirements.   The law…

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Timothy Britton, the owner and operator of rental properties in the Falls Creek, Pennsylvania, area and Britton Enterprises LLC, doing business as “Tim’s Apartments,” which operates the rental properties, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania…

The Justice Department today announced the launch of the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Environmental Crimes Task Force to investigate and prosecute violations of federal law harming the environment, wildlife and human health, and associated fraud, waste and abuse in the region. The creation of the task force comes one year after the Justice Department announced  its Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy…

  More than $10 Million Secured for Victims of Sexual Harassment Through Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative The Justice Department announced today that it has secured an agreement to resolve a lawsuit alleging that New London, Connecticut, landlord Richard Bruno violated the Fair Housing Act by sexually harassing female tenants and applicants. The settlement also resolves claims against Domco LLC and Domco II LLC, which…

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…

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DONNA CARNEY, 67, of Canton, was sentenced today by U.S. Circuit Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam in Bridgeport to one month of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for defrauding a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) program. According to court documents and statements made in court, in approximately 1995, Carney…

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –Walter Pierluisi Isern, Eduardo Pierluisi Isern, and American Management and Administration Corporation (AMAC) pleaded guilty today to one count of Theft of Federal Program Funds in relation to the misappropriation of operational funds provided by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the administration of public housing projects (PHPs) in Puerto Rico. According to court…

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Omayra Ujaque (52, St. Cloud) guilty of three counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Ujaque faces a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment for each bank fraud count and a mandatory 2-year sentence for the aggravated identity theft county. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 5, 2023. Ujaque had been indicted on…

URBANA, Ill. – A Champaign, Illinois, man, Lekevie C. Johnson, formerly of the 2000 block of Clayton Boulevard, was sentenced on April 10, 2023, to 10 months of imprisonment and ordered to pay $59,358.90 restitution following his December 2022 guilty pleas to financial crimes including federal program misapplication, student loan misapplication, and false statement in bankruptcy. Johnson was formerly the pastor of Mount Calvary Missionary…

NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, woman pleaded guilty today to stealing over $1.5 million from over 100 victims made up mainly of non-profits, private schools, and religious institutions throughout New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Yezenia Castillo, 46, of Hoboken, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S District Judge Susan D. Wigenton, to an information charging her with one count each of wire fraud and tax…

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHN TRASACCO, 50, of West Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 96 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy and fraud offenses related to a scheme to steal COVID-19 relief funds from the City of West Haven. According to the evidence presented during a trial in this…

St. Thomas, VI – Dozens of federal Inspector General officials gathered in St. Thomas on March 22-23, 2023, for the first Virgin Islands Office of Inspector General Spring Symposium. The federal oversight and law enforcement officials spent two days collaborating and sharing information as part of their ongoing commitment to protect federal funds awarded to the Virgin Islands. “As a result of Hurricanes Irma and Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic…

Are you being sexually harassed by your housing provider? HUD OIG is taking action to combat sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct in HUD housing by vigorously pursuing those who engage in this unlawful conduct. Fair housing is your right. No one should have to live in fear to have a place to live. Report sexual misconduct to HUD OIG.

Written Testimony of Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development: “Oversight Hearing – Inspectors General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Department of Transportation." link to the hearing can be found here.

  Some landlords participating in HUD’s rental assistance programs have targeted vulnerable populations receiving assistance with financial fraud schemes that charge more in rent or other fees for housing services than they are allowed. These schemes take valuable dollars out of the pockets of low-income households by preying on their housing insecurity and also reduces the number of families that HUD’s important program can serve.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHN BERNARDO, 66, of West Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 13 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for participating in a scheme to steal COVID-19 relief funds from the City of West Haven. According to court documents and statements made in court, Bernardo was employed…

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).…

PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of bank fraud and conspiracy, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Lee Ann Benninghoff, age 44, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Benninghoff owned and operated Complete Escrow and Bella Casa Realty. From February…

We are committed to holding housing providers accountable for complying with environmental laws and regulations to protect the health of low-income households and vulnerable populations and we will use every tool available to combat environmental crime and injustice in housing.