Based on the results of recommendation 1A, update the HBA guidelines and the Puerto Rico disaster recovery action plan.

Instruct PRDOH and PRHFA to develop and implement clear and consistent guidelines and procedures that establish a verifiable methodology for determining the amount of financial awards granted to eligible HBA participants.

Include, as part of the revised procedures, a requirement to document within each case in SSP a detailed (1) calculation of the household income and (2) the analysis and computations conducted by the PRHFA underwriter for determining the amount of the financial assistance award.

Instruct PRDOH and PRHFA to provide training and guidance to participating lending institutions related to the updated guidelines and procedures for determining the financial award granted to HBA participants to ensure that program funds are distributed in an equitable manner.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Robert Kirby Wells, 64, of Woodland, was sentenced today to two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.According to court documents, Wells served as an insurance broker for a company located in Denver, Colorado, that owned Read More

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Shawn Thomas Johnson, 38, of Asheville, was sentenced today to 92 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for bank fraud and possession of a firearm by a felon, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition, U. Read More

Defendant Fraudulently Obtained $223,870 FHA-Insured Home MortgageHUNTINGTON, W.Va. – After two days of trial, a federal jury convicted Jason Trador, 46, of Scott Depot, on April 10, 2024, of making a false statement to federal agents, willfully overvaluing property on a loan application, and three Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man who estimated he filed more than 3,000 fraudulent COVID-relief applications was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 72 months in prison.The fraud scheme perpetuated by Ousmane Diane, 24, caused a loss of more than $908,000. He submitted applications for more Read More

Focused on the Use of the Fair Housing Act to Prevent and Address Complaints of Sexual Harassment in HUD-Assisted HousingRALEIGH, N.C. – United States Attorneys Michael Easley for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Sandra Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina, and Dena King for Read More

HUD OIG is conducting an audit of the State of South Carolina to determine whether the State has strategically planned and implemented its buyout and rehabilitation programs to maximize the resiliency and mitigate the effect of disasters on impacted communities and whether the programs are Read More

While conducting our annual audit of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD or Department) compliance with the Payment Integrity and Information Act, HUD’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) informed my office that the Department will once again be unable to estimate Read More

As required by the Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2012, Public Law 112-194, we performed risk assessments of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) purchase and travel card programs.  In our risk assessments, we analyzed and identified the risks of illegal, improper Read More

In response to the wide-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government provided more than $5 trillion in emergency relief across more than 500 government programs to help individuals, businesses, and state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments respond to the pandemic. To Read More

NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, woman was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for 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 Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a South Hempstead woman was arrested and charged yesterday with allegedly falsely applying for and receiving more than $22,000 of rental assistance benefits from the Nassau County Housing Choice Voucher Program to which Read More

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is initiating an inquiry into Ginnie Mae’s monitoring and extinguishment of former issuer, Reverse Mortgage Funding (RMF), from its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage-Backed Securities (HMBS) Program. Read More

WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued an audit report examining the Puerto Rico Housing Finance Authority’s (PRHFA) Homebuyer Assistance Program (HBA). The HBA program was developed by the Puerto Rico Read More

We audited the Puerto Rico Housing Finance Authority’s (PRHFA) Homebuyer Assistance Program (HBA), which provides eligible applicants with closing costs and downpayment assistance for the purchase of a primary residence.  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided its Read More