The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD), Office of Inspector General reviewed HUD’s oversight of contracting for architectural and engineering contracts due to a referral involving a multi-State manufactured home inspection contract awarded by HUD in which the contractor received excessive payments.  Our audit objective was to determine whether HUD properly procured and made reasonable payments for its manufactured…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) San Francisco and Los Angeles Offices of Community Planning and Development’s (CPD) monitoring of CPD-funded assets transferred by former redevelopment agencies due to concerns that CPD-funded assets may be lost during the State of California’s statewide mandated closure of redevelopment agencies.  Our objective was to determine whether the San Francisco and Los…

We audited the Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna, PA, because we received an anonymous complaint alleging incompetent leadership, nepotism, misuse of funds, and poor quality of life at the Authority.  Our objectives were to determine whether the allegations in the complaint had merit and whether the Authority had effective controls to prevent conflicts of interest, ensure that interfund accounts were settled in a timely manner…

We conducted a review of Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program payments made to Deandra Caison, a landlord, for a tenant residing in a property that Ms. Caison no longer owned.  Ms. Caison had sold the property to her brother but continued to receive housing assistance payments.  Between November 2007 and March 2010, Caison received $29,055 in housing assistance payments from the Orlando Housing Authority.  To resolve the…

We investigated allegations that Thomas Bechtel, a real estate broker, violated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) real estate-owned owner occupancy program requirements.  The Cincinnati HUD office referred the complaint to HUD OIG.  Our investigation revealed that a bidder, using Thomas Bechtel as his real estate broker, made a false statement when the bidder purchased a HUD-owned single-family home.  The…

We investigated allegations that Tracie Hoker, a real estate agent, violated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) real estate-owned owner occupancy program requirements.  The Cincinnati HUD office referred the complaint to our office.  Our investigation revealed that a bidder, using Ms. Tracie Hoker as his real estate agent, made a false statement in 2012 to purchase a HUD-owned single-family home, by submitting a…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of Section 202 multifamily housing project refinances as part of the Inspector General’s goal of promoting fiscal responsibility and financial accountability.  Our objective was to determine whether HUD had adequate controls to ensure that Section 202 refinancing was conducted in an effective and efficient manner. HUD did not have adequate controls to…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Boston Office of Public Housing as part of a nationwide audit of HUD’s oversight of environmental reviews.  We selected the Boston Office based on our risk assessment.  Our audit objectives were to determine whether the Boston Office’s oversight of public housing environmental reviews within its jurisdiction ensured that (1) the responsible entities performed the…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General, audited the City of Kansas City, MO’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program I (NSP I) based on previous problems in the City’s Community Development Block Grant program and the amount of funding it received.  During fiscal year 2008, the City received more than $7.3 million in NSP1 funding.  Our audit objectives were to determine whether the City…

We audited the Hopewell Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s use of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Housing Choice Voucher and public housing program funds.  We audited the Authority because we received a complaint alleging that the Authority (1) improperly calculated tenant rents and utility allowances, (2) improperly managed the program waiting list, (3) used credit cards for personal transactions, (4) made…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General reviewed a complaint against a project that was partially funded by the Office of Community Planning and Development’s HOME Investment Partnerships program.  Our objective was to determine whether the allegations in hotline complaint number HL-2013-0804 were valid.  The complainant alleged that while Clare View Seniors Apartments, LP, was in the process…

We investigated allegations that John Sherman violated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) real estate-owned (REO) owner occupancy program requirements.  The Cincinnati HUD Office referred the complaint to our office.  Our investigation revealed that John Sherman failed to comply with the HUD REO program requirement that an individual who purchased a REO home during its initial offering period must be the owner-…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General selected the City of Joplin, MO’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery program for audit because the City was awarded more than $45 million in CDBG Disaster Recovery funds in April 2012 and an additional $113 million in May 2013.  In addition, we had not audited the City’s activities for at least 10 years.  Our audit objective was…

We audited the Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport, CT, based on a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Hartford, CT, field office.  HUD officials were concerned about the Authority due to significant financial deficiencies that were not corrected in a timely manner.  Our audit objective was to determine whether Authority officials ensured that expenses charged to Federal programs were…

We reviewed the administration of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Loss Mitigation Program at the Wyoming Community Development Authority, located in Casper, WY.  Our objective was to determine whether the Authority properly administered HUD’s Loss Mitigation Program for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgages.  We selected the Authority based on its high rate of foreclosure claims.  Its…

We audited the Housing Authority of the City of Paterson, Paterson, NJ’s Housing Choice Voucher program based on a risk assessment of authorities administered by the HUD Newark, NJ, field office that considered funding, HUD’s 2012 risk score, and prior OIG audits. The audit objectives were to determine whether Authority officials implemented adequate controls to ensure that the program was administered in accordance with HUD regulations and its…

We audited the City of Detroit’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program-funded demolition activities under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.  We selected the City based on a request from the Office of Inspector General’s Office of Investigation to work jointly with it on the assignment.  Our objectives were to determine whether the City complied with Federal regulations in its (1) maintenance of accounting records for…

We audited the State of Mississippi’s Community Development Block Grant Hurricane Disaster Recovery Program.  The Gulf Coast Regional Infrastructure Program was selected for audit based upon a congressional request, and it was also included in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General’s (HUD OIG) annual audit plan.  Our main objectives were to determine whether the State ensured that (1)…

We audited the City of Memphis’ Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program-funded Housing and Rehabilitation Program (HARP) as part of the activities in our 2013 fiscal year annual audit plan and based on a referral from the Office of Inspector General’s Office of Investigation.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the City used its CDBG and HOME funds for eligible activities and complied…

The Inspector General Act of 1978 requires the Inspector General to prepare semiannual reports summarizing the activities of the Office of Inspector General for the preceding six month periods. The semiannual reports are intended to keep the Secretary and the Congress fully informed of significant findings, progress the Agency has made and recommendations for improvement.