We audited the Los Angeles Multifamily Hub's monitoring of its annual contributions contract with its performance-based contract administrator (contractor), Los Angeles LOMOD (LOMOD). Our overall audit objective was to determine whether the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) appropriately monitored LOMOD with respect to the annual contributions contract. The Los Angeles Multifamily Hub did not properly monitor its contractor…

San Francisco, CA – Today, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that Maggie Pasigan, 49, and Daisy Avalos, 47, both of San Francisco, were charged for defrauding various public benefits providers of over $500,000.  They were both arraigned on March 13, 2025, and each pleaded not guilty.  Ms. Pasigan and Ms. Avalos are each charged with grand theft, welfare fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy.“I would like…

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Joseph E. Johnson, also known as Joe Johnson, the owner and operator of rental properties in Lexington, Kentucky, for engaging in sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act.“For decades, this landlord used his position of power to sexually harass vulnerable women who simply wanted roofs over their heads,” said Assistant Attorney General…

SAN FRANCISCO – Tjoman Buditaslim, Jose De Jesus Martinez, and Jose Alfonso Tellez were sentenced today to 24 months, 14 months, and 12 months in prison, respectively, for their participation in a mortgage fraud conspiracy.  The sentences were handed down by the Honorable Charles R. Breyer, Senior U.S. District Judge.Buditaslim, 52, of San Francisco, Martinez, 59, of Daly City, Tellez, 27, of San Jose, and a fourth defendant, Travis…

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Adnan Shalash, the owner and operator of rental properties in Lexington, Kentucky, for engaging in sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The lawsuit also names as defendants 12 owners of rental properties managed by Adnan Shalash, including Fox Den Properties LLC and Griffith Market Inc.“Sexual harassment by housing providers is an…

LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the unsealing of a grand jury indictment against the owners of three mortgage brokerage firms and 11 affiliates in a mortgage fraud scheme. Fraudulent loan applications and financial documentation were allegedly used to obtain eight loans totaling $3.69 million. The fraudulent loans were then used by unsuspecting borrowers to purchase properties located in the counties of…

Defendant Allegedly Misrepresented He Was in the Military to Obtain Additional Pay and BenefitsSAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury indicted Omar Naziry, a former employee of a global security and aerospace company, with mail fraud for falsely representing he was in the military to obtain pay and benefits.  The defendant made his initial appearance in the Northern District of California on Sept. 25, 2024.According to an indictment filed…

A California real estate executive was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a fine of $200,000 for engaging in an extensive multi-year conspiracy to falsify financial statements.According to court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Tyler Ross, 38, of San Francisco, and formerly of Michigan, served as co-chief executive officer of ROCO Real Estate LLC and…

Defendant Falsely Claimed Eligibility for Housing VouchersSAN FRANCISCO – Gregory Finkelson was sentenced to one year in prison for theft of government property in connection with his fraudulent receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars in low-income housing benefits, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban…

The City of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $38.2 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly failed to meet federal accessibility requirements when it sought and used Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant funds for multifamily affordable housing.HUD provides grant funds to Los Angeles and other cities to support housing and community development, including building and rehabilitating affordable multifamily housing units.…