Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MALGORZATA KARAS-GOLKA, also known as “Margaret,” 46, of Newington, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for her role in an extensive mortgage fraud conspiracy.  She was also ordered to pay $166,500 in restitution. According to court documents and…

Mary Hayre, age 68, and Pamela Jeridore, age 44, both of North Charleston, were charged in a one-count Indictment with Theft of Government Property, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 641 and 2. The maximum penalty each defendant could receive is 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The case was investigated by agents of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG) and is…

St. Louis, MO – John York was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States through his business, The Mortgage Store, Inc., in 2008. According to court documents, York was a part owner of The Mortgage Store, Inc. (TMS) and the president of Title America. By 2008, TMS was a major mortgage brokering business with offices in four states and hundreds of employees. The main offices were in Westport…

BOSTON – A former executive of the Chelsea Housing Authority (CHA) and a former public housing inspector were convicted on Wednesday, April 1, 2015, for their roles in rigging the inspection process of federally funded housing units. James Fitzpatrick, 63, of Acton, Mass., and Bernard Morosco, 50, of Utica, NY, were convicted of conspiring to defraud the United States and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by impairing,…

Earlier today, federal agents arrested Stacey Stackhouse, the former executive director of Village of Hempstead Housing Authority (VHHA) and James Alimonos, Michael Lambros, and Demetrios Kaouris, who performed construction work for the agency, for their involvement in a wire fraud conspiracy in connection with the theft of federal funds. The defendants are scheduled to appear this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge A. Kathleen…

A former Chelsea Housing Authority manager and a consultant face possible prison sentences after being found guilty on Wednesday of conspiring to defraud the government by rigging biennial federal inspections of apartments to make sure the housing agency received a high performance rating. “This ends another chapter in holding accountable those who engaged in the extensive abuse of the public trust at the housing authority,” said Thomas K.…

WASHINGTON – Edward Dacy, 76, most recently of West Melbourne, Fla., has been found guilty by a jury of 10 counts of conspiracy, bank fraud, and mail fraud 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 verdict, returned March 25, 2015, was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent…

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Edgar Tibakweitira, a/k/a “Edgar Julian,” “Charles Edgar Tibakweitira,” and “Edgar Gaudious Tibakweitira,” age 46, of Severn, Maryland,  today to 57 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, arising from a residential mortgage fraud scheme.  Judge Hazel also ordered Tibakweitira…

NEWARK, NJ—An inspector at the Union City Community Development Agency (UCCDA) today admitted conspiring with contractors to rig the selection process for home improvement, sidewalk replacement and other projects, causing losses of at least $400,000, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Johnny Garces, 52, of Union City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls in Newark federal court to an information charging…

UNION CITY--A Union City employee admitted on Tuesday to misapplying more than $400,000 intended for city improvement projects, state U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said in a release. Johnny Garces, 52, pleaded guilty to his role in a bid rigging scheme that diverted at least $400,000 in federal grants meant for sidewalk repairs, home improvements and other projects, Fishman said. As an inspector at the Union City Community Development Agency,…

SALINE CO. -- The directors of a Saline County domestic violence shelter have been charged with falsifying records and stealing funds. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has charged Barbara Wingo, 76, of Golconda, and her daughter, Terrie Wingo-Eichorn, 50, of Elizabethtown, with multiple counts, including financial institution fraud, loan fraud, wire fraud, forgery, and using charitable assets for personal use. Wingo is the executive…

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Stephany West (51, Bradenton) today pleaded guilty to theft of federal funds. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the plea agreement, from June 2, 2008, until September 19, 2013, West, a/k/a “Stephany Shaw,” was employed as the Project Director of the Bradenton Housing Authority (“BHA”). The BHA…

TRENTON, NJ—A Hudson County, New Jersey, man, today admitted to colluding with other contractors to secure projects funded by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. John Youngclaus, 43, of Bayonne, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with theft of $224,250 in government funds. According to…

TRENTON -- The owner of a Bayonne plumbing and heating company admitted in federal court today to colluding with other contractors to secure projects funded by federal grants, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. John Youngclaus, 43, of Bayonne, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan in Trenton to an the theft of $224,250 in government funds. Youngclaus faces up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 when he…

TOLEDO - A Perrysburg man was among two people indicted last week in federal court for allegedly stealing $1 million from hundreds of people as part of a loan-modification fraud scheme. Christopher J. Howder, 37, Perrysburg, and Jason J. Keating, 36, Toledo, were both indicted for wire fraud in the alleged scheme, according to a press release issued by the Northern District of Ohio. Howder and Keating worked at Making Home Affordable USA in…

BOSTON — U.S. District Judge Rya W. Zobel on Wednesday ordered a Revere woman to pay back the federal agencies she defrauded of more than $88,000. That's the total amount of disability payments and rental assistance that 64-year-old Emily Lardiero received for more than a decade from the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to federal prosecutors assigned to the office of U.S.…

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — An audit report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General said the state of Rhode Island "did not properly administer" federal money given through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, and "as a result, HUD had no assurance that more than $6.3 million ... was effectively and efficiently used." The inspector general recommended that HUD require the state to "repay…

The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority paid $211,216 for outside legal services that should have been performed by the authority’s in-house lawyer, according to a federal audit that was undertaken a year ago in response to an anonymous hotline complaint. The audit renewed tenant claims that the authority wastes money on outside law firms, money that could be better spent providing services to residents. However, in response to that same…

Two Toledo-area men were indicted for wire fraud related to stealing more than $1 million from hundreds of people through a fraudulent loan-modification scheme, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cleveland office. Indicted are Jason J. Keating, 36, of Toledo, and Christopher J. Howder, 37, of Perrysburg. They worked at Making Home Affordable USA…

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Alberic Okou Agodio, age 30, of Bethesda, Maryland, on charges 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 foreclosure. The indictment was returned on…