TRENTON – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that five additional individuals were charged criminally today with filing fraudulent applications for federal relief funds related to Superstorm Sandy. Since March 2014, the Attorney General’s Office has filed criminal charges against 37 people for allegedly engaging in this type of fraud, including the five individuals charged today. The Attorney General’s Office is continuing its…

Also Admits Role in Fraudulent $20,000 Home Rehabilitation Loan Scheme (Source: USAO, NJ) NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, man today admitted using excessive force during an arrest, falsifying records in an attempt to conceal his conduct and helping a relative fraudulently obtain a home rehabilitation loan, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Domenico Lillo, 45, of Bayonne, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge…

(Source: USAO, MA) BOSTON – Two former Roxse Homes employees were arrested today on charges that they conspired to rent apartments at the housing development in Roxbury to individuals who were not qualified for those apartments, in exchange for cash bribes.  Mathis Lemons, 41, of Brockton, and Ismael Morales, 35, of Jamaica Plain, were indicted on one count of conspiracy and seven counts of bribery.  The Indictment alleges that…

(Source: Victoria Advocate) A damning audit showing the Victoria Housing Authority mismanaged more than $780,000 of federal money could result in criminal charges. "This is not surprising, and I think that is a very conservative number," Criminal District Attorney Stephen Tyler said Friday. Mayor Paul Polasek added: "I'm very disturbed by these allegations." The Victoria Housing Authority's former Chief Financial Officer Dolores Garza, current…

(Source: USAO, CT) Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ANDREW ROSS, 58, of New Haven, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to paying nearly $350,000 in bribes to the former executive director of the West Haven Housing Authority in exchange for government contracts and business. According to court documents and statements…

(Source: USAO, DC) WASHINGTON – Nine individuals have been sentenced on federal charges stemming from a mortgage fraud scheme involving 45 properties and $16 million in mortgage loans used for the purchase of residential real estate in the District of Columbia and Maryland. The sentences were announced today by Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr.; Olga Acevedo, Special Agent in Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Region, Office of the Inspector…

(Source: NY State Police) On Friday, August 28, 2015, the New York State Police at Latham conducted an investigation in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency- Office of Inspector General (EPA/OIG), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development- Office of Inspector General (HUD/OIG) and the Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Service (DHS/FPS) which concluded with the arrest of 58 year old Charles…

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A former program manager for the Parma Public Housing Agency was sentenced Thursday to 16 months in federal prison for stealing $232,000 over six years. Amy Belz, 34, who is free on bond while she awaits a date to report to prison, tearfully apologized to the judge and her family during the sentencing hearing. She cited the effect on her two daughters. "Because of me, their lives were turned upside down," Belz said. In handing…

(Source: kens5.com) SAN ANTONIO – The embattled executive director of the Housing Authority of Bexar County has resigned, months after a federal audit found the agency misused more than $583,000 in funds. Albert “Buddy” Aleman resigned Aug. 19, effective immediately, a county spokeswoman said. Aleman’s resignation comes less than two months after Judge Nelson Wolff publicly called for his dismissal, and while the agency actively looked to find…

WASHINGTON – Edward Dacy, 77, most recently of West Melbourne, Fla., was sentenced today to six years in prison on charges stemming from a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme involving 45 properties and $16 million in mortgage loans used for the purchase of residential real estate in the District of Columbia and Maryland. The sentencing was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr.; Olga Acevedo, Special…

(Source: Pacific Daily News) Federal subpoenas were delivered Friday to the Guam Housing and Renewal Authority’s main office, GHURA management confirmed Monday. Albert Santos, GHURA’s interim executive director while Mike Duenas is off island, said while he can confirm subpoenas were served, he couldn’t disclose who was subpoenaed and what information was sought. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., issued the subpoenas,…

(Source: Miami Herald) The Miami-based Carlisle Development Group, once the state’s biggest developer of affordable housing, had a reputation for building some of South Florida’s finest low-income apartments — including a tower in the historic black neighborhood of Overtown with after-school care and computer labs. What no one knew was that its once-lauded leaders, principals Matthew Greer and Lloyd Boggio, stole tens of millions of dollars in…

NEWARK N.J. – A Nutley, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for his role in a massive mortgage fraud scheme involving multiple properties in Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Kenneth Sweetman, 34, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. Judge…

(Source: USDOJ) Baltimore, Maryland –Alberic Okou Agodio, age 30, of Bethesda, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, arising from a mortgage fraud scheme in which he used the names of immigrants and students, along with false financial information, to obtain approximately $3.8 million in home mortgage loans to buy approximately three dozen row houses in Baltimore, all of which are in default or…

CHICAGO—A west suburban real estate broker was sentenced today to 16 months in federal prison for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme involving a pair of Chicago apartment buildings. GEORGE DRAVILAS, 37, of Medinah, pleaded guilty in February to one count of bank fraud. In addition to the prison term, United States District Judge Gary Feinerman ordered Dravilas to pay $463,110 in restitution. Judge Feinerman ordered Dravilas to begin serving…

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General ("HUD-OIG"), Northeast Region, announced today the return of a Superseding Indictment charging MICHAEL BARNETT, ROBERT LEES, and KEVIN DICELLO with conspiracy, fraud, and false statement charges in connection with the development of Vineyard…

The state employee who manages fraud investigations for the state welfare department was charged with fraud himself Wednesday for lying about his assets on an application to refinance his home mortgage.. The U.S. Attorney's office said that investigators had arrested Lynwood Patrick Jr., 39, at his home in East Hartford Wednesday morning on a charge of wire fraud. Patrick, charged by a new federal anti-corruption task force, was released on…

As taxpayers, we all fund a program that provides affordable public housing for low-income families. However, 9 Investigates learned tens of millions of dollars every month are going to residents who don’t qualify for the federal assistance. And after U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, learned about some of what Channel 9's Vanessa Welch uncovered, he announced plans for a full investigation. Welch learned that public housing residents are…

Earlier today, Poppi Metaxas, the former President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gateway Bank, FSB (Gateway) pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud for her role in defrauding the bank of more than $1.8 million in the aftermath of the financial crisis. The guilty plea was announced by Kelly T. Currie, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Diego Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal…

Baltimore, Maryland - Sharon Harrison, age 48, of Rosedale, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to embezzling more than $1.3 million from four non-profit organizations for which she worked and which received federal funding. The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Special Agent in Charge Cary A. Rubenstein…