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.

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.

PROVIDENCE – A Johnston-based real estate investment firm, the company’s owner, and an employee of the real estate investment firm were sentenced in U.S. District Court today for conspiring to defraud and for defrauding homeowners, many of whom spoke little or no English, and financial institutions, criminal conduct that caused some homeowners to move out of their property, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.In April 2023,…

WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report examining how HUD tracks elevated blood lead levels in children under six reported by multifamily properties receiving Section 8 project-based rental assistance.  The report found that the Office of Multifamily Housing (Multifamily) lacks policies, processes, and a tracking system to effectively ensure…

Jay Clayton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that COREY GILMORE, a former superintendent for the New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”), was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for soliciting and accepting approximately $32,000 in bribes from contractors in exchange for awarding repair contracts or approving repair work worth at least approximately $215,000.  GILMORE’s sentence was…

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Doris Santana, age 54, of Thompsontown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on May 22, 2025, to six months’ home confinement by United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for social security fraud and theft of public money related to her theft of social security and federal housing funds.According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus…

Defendant alleged to have voted in the 2024 presidential election; lived under stolen identity for more than 20 years; obtained a Real ID; and improperly received more than $400,000 in stolen federal benefitsBOSTON – A Colombian woman, unlawfully residing in Boston, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for identity theft offenses, including receiving rental assistance, Social Security and SNAP benefits, as well as voter fraud under the…

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued its annual audit report assessing HUD’s efforts to estimate, test, and reduce improper payments under the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019. The audit found that for the eighth consecutive year, HUD was unable to estimate improper payments for its two largest rental assistance programs. Together, the Office…

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Carlos Calderon (56, Clermont) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Calderon faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.According to the plea agreement and court proceedings, Calderon and others conspired to create and execute a mortgage fraud scheme targeting financial institutions. To ensure that…

Jay Clayton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that HECTOR COLON, a former superintendent for the New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”), was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for soliciting and accepting approximately $30,000 in bribes from contractors in exchange for awarding repair contracts or approving repair work worth at least approximately $400,000.  COLON’s sentence was imposed by U.S.…

Orlando, FL – United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Maria Del Carmen Montes (48, Kissimmee) to 33 months in federal prison for bank fraud. Montes pleaded guilty on January 4, 2024. According to court documents, Montes, co-conspirator Carlos Ferrer, and others created and executed a mortgage fraud scheme targeting financial institutions. Montes assisted clients with purchasing homes and, after signing the real…

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who defrauded a local financial institution of $652,784.34 in funds was sentenced in federal court today for bank fraud and money laundering.Maximillian D. Howell, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to a total of 21 months in federal prison without parole.  The court also ordered Howell to pay restitution of $231,841.84 to the financial institution.  In addition, the court…

POCATELLO – Bruce Hauber, 72, of American Falls, was sentenced to five years of probation for federal program theft after embezzling $129,022.38 from a federally funded public housing authority, Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced today.According to court records, the American Falls Housing Authority (AFHA) is a federally funded public housing authority that manages public housing in American Falls. Between 2019 and 2023, Hauber was…

Firm Billed for Services after Devastating 2016 West Virginia FloodCHARLESTON, W.Va. – Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston announced today that Horne LLP, of Ridgeland, Mississippi, has agreed to pay the United States $1,207,600 to resolve civil allegations that it received improper payments from federal disaster recovery grant funds in connection with disaster recovery services it provided in 2017 and 2018 in West Virginia.On June 23…

HELENA – A Helena real estate agent and property manager who admitted to failing to provide lead-based paint disclosures as required to veterans residing in housing at Fort Harrison, in Helena, which resulted in the exposure of veterans and their families to significant levels of lead, was sentenced yesterday to three years of felony probation and fined $150,000, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.Melanie Ann Carlin, 54, of Clancy, pleaded guilty in…

Acting Inspector General Stephen Begg testified before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations at a hearing entitled “Decades of Dysfunction: Restoring Accountability at HUD.” The Acting Inspector General focused his testimony on key areas of risk within HUD’s Top Management Challenges including: reducing improper payments, detecting and preventing fraud, managing counterparty risk, and improving living…

CLEVELAND – Basheer Jones, 40, of Cleveland, Ohio, has been sentenced to 28 months in prison by U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese, after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud by using his role as a public official for personal financial gain by seeking to defraud multiple community stakeholders out of more than $200,000. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment…

Four real estate investors were sentenced in an extensive, multi-year conspiracy to fraudulently obtain multimillion-dollar loans on commercial and multifamily properties.Aron Puretz, 53, of New Jersey, and his son, Chaim “Eli” Puretz, 29, of New Jersey, were sentenced to prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. Aron Puretz was sentenced to 60 months in prison and ordered to pay $22,235,457 in restitution,…

Claims Relate to Fraudulent Disaster Recovery Services After Devastating 2016 Flooding in West VirginiaCHARLESTON, W.Va. – Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston announced today that Thompson Construction Group Inc., of Sumter, South Carolina, has agreed to pay the United States $191,070 to resolve civil allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act by submitting false claims for payment from federal disaster recovery…

NEWARK, N.J. – A Newark-based expediter today admitted to conspiring to give bribes to Newark public officials, including then-Newark Councilmember Joseph A. McCallum, Jr., in connection with real estate development and construction-related transactions and conspiring with others to create and sell falsified documents supposedly issued by the City of Newark in connection with development, construction, rental or sale of such properties in Newark…