The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General audited the State of Louisiana's (State) Road Home program (Road Home) housing manager's performance under a contract worth more than $750 million. The State is a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery grantee under the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2006. We initiated the audit in conjunction with the Office of…

We audited the Shreveport Housing Authority's (Authority) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program as part of our strategic plan. Our objective was to determine whether the Authority's Section 8 units met housing quality standards and if not, determine the extent, cause, and impact of its noncompliance on its Section 8 program. The Authority did not have adequate management controls to ensure that it complied with U. S.…

Bob Dean Jr. and several companies that he owned and operated have agreed to an $8.2 million consent judgment to resolve allegations that they violated the National Housing Act of 1934 (NHA), by misappropriating and misusing the assets and income of four nursing homes in Louisiana before and after Hurricane Ida’s landfall in August 2021. The four nursing homes, all of which were owned and operated by Dean and his companies, and had loans insured…

NEW ORLEANS - United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LEESSA AUGUSTINE (“AUGUSTINE”), age 46, was indicted on September 20, 2024 for her involvement in multiple fraud schemes while employed as a Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (“S&WB”) Senior Special Agent, a position tasked with investigating the alleged misconduct of other Sewerage & Water Board employees.In one alleged scheme, AUGUSTINE, who…

WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued an audit report examining the City of New Orleans’ (the City) use of HUD’s National Disaster Resilience grant funding.  HUD’s program is designed to help state and local communities recover from past disasters, while also improving their infrastructure to withstand future extreme events through strategic community…

WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a management alert urging HUD leadership to address the Department’s longstanding challenges with identifying and preventing improper payments. For 11 consecutive years, HUD has been noncompliant with federal laws requiring agencies and departments to identify, report, and mitigate improper or unknown payments in their…

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.  The OIG’s inquiry will include interviews, data gathering, and analysis of compliance with laws, regulations, policies, and procedures related…

WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued an audit report about HUD’s compliance with the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA).  Congress enacted the PIIA in March 2020 to safeguard Federal funds by reducing payments made for an incorrect amount under statutory, contractual, administrative, or other legally applicable requirements.   The law…

The Justice Department today announced the launch of the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Environmental Crimes Task Force to investigate and prosecute violations of federal law harming the environment, wildlife and human health, and associated fraud, waste and abuse in the region. The creation of the task force comes one year after the Justice Department announced  its Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy…

WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General issued an evaluation report about HUD’s processes for monitoring children with elevated blood lead levels (EBLL) and lead-based paint hazards in public housing.The evaluation examined HUD’s processes for addressing cases of EBLLs in children residing in public housing determined the effectiveness of two trackers that HUD uses to ensure appropriate action is…

      WASHINGTON DC — Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis issues the following statement on the issuance of notification of inquiry to the Department concerning the circumstances resulting in the relocation of residents at Peppertree Apartments: “Promoting safety in HUD housing is a top priority for my office. Everyone deserves to live in a decent, safe, and sanitary home without the fear of being exposed to safety hazards that…

ALEXANDRIA, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Lisa G. Cooper, 55, of Cottonport, Louisiana, has pleaded guilty to federal program theft. The hearing was held today before United States District Judge Dee D. Drell. According to evidence presented to the court, Cooper was employed by, and an agent of, the Cottonport Housing Authority (“CHA”), which is a local government agency that provides…

ALEXANDRIA, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Lisa G. Cooper, 55, of Cottonport, Louisiana, has pleaded guilty to federal program theft. The hearing was held today before United States District Judge Dee D. Drell. According to evidence presented to the court, Cooper was employed by, and an agent of, the Cottonport Housing Authority (“CHA”), which is a local government agency that provides…

New Orleans, LA – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today that Kevin Richardson, 59, of New Orleans, was sentenced on January 13, 2022 by United States District Judge Susie Morgan to thirty (30) months in the Bureau of Prisons for violating Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1952(a)(3) and 2, use of an interstate facility with intent to carry on unlawful activity. According to the court documents, Richardson was employed…

Each year, in compliance with Public Law 106-531, the Reports Consolidation Act of 2000, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), issues a report summarizing what we consider the most serious management challenges facing the Department.

Through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Congress has provided over $12 billion to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to assist homeowners, renters, landlords, and impacted communities. HUD Office of Inspector General (OIG) has developed a framework of five key oversight areas to guide our work.

NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that today WESLEY T. BISHOP, age 52, of New Orleans was sentenced to 4 (four) years of probation, before U.S. District Judge Greg Guidry, for making a false statement, a crime punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment.  BISHOP admitted to knowingly and willfully making a false, material statement to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) in connection…