Unique D. Jones, a 21 year old woman from Brooklyn, New York, was arrested and charged with one count of Grand Larceny in the 3^rd Degree, two counts of Grand Larceny in the 4^th Degree and four counts of Petit Larceny, and one count of Scheme to Defraud, for allegedly using Craigslist ads to defraud the New York City Housing Authority of approximately $3500 and illegally subletting her public housing apartments.

Between March and September 2010, Jones posted on Craigslist that her NYCHA eligible apartment in Brooklyn, New York was available for sublet when it is not permitted to be. The unknowing potential tenants gave Jones $2400 to sublet that apartment while renting the same apartment to another tenant for $2400.

If convicted, Jones faces a maximum penalty of 12 years of imprisonment.

Joba Cortorreal, former supervisor at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, pleaded guilty to 26 counts of Bribe Receiving in the Third Degree and one count of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree. Cortorreal was indicted in 2008 after the DOI launched wide scale Section 8 fraud investigation upon 19 involved individuals.

Between 2003 and 2008, Cortorreal and two other Department of Housing Preservation and Development employees were allegedly selling federally-funded Section 8 vouchers issued by the City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

Cortorreal and her two co-defendants were allegedly accepting cash bribes of $5000 each from 16 New York City residents in exchange for the Section 8 rent vouchers and subsidies. Cortorreal purportedly was able to procure these vouchers by falsifying their Housing Preservation and Development records, specifically falsifying ineligible applications as emergency relocation applications.

As a result of Cortorreal’s and her co-defendants’ alleged actions, an approximate total of $80,000 was defrauded from the Section 8

If convicted of all the charges, Cortorreal faces more than 20 years of imprisonment.

4 New York City Housing Authority’s Section 8 rental subsidies beneficiaries were arrested and charged with housing fraud and false statements, for  failing to report their assets and cohabitants. The defendants allegedly stole approximately $119,810 from the New York City Housing Department (NYCHA).

According to the NYCHA, all 4 defendants had been receiving NYCHA Section 8 rental subsidies, or were provide with public housing while concealing their familial relationships with cohabitants, home and vehicle ownerships and income.

Defendant Enercida M. Garcia was charged with conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the United States, and theft of public money. Garcia’s son also remains at-large.

Defendant Chris Santos was charged with theft of public money and 5 counts of false statements.

Defendant Mei Ki Wan was charged with 4 counts of false statements.

Defendant Joan J. Johnson was charged with 4 counts of false statements and theft of public money.

All four defendants face a maximum penalty of more than 5 years in prison each, if convicted.

Danet Reddick, Jacqueline Coleman, and Celia Aquino, three New York City residents were arrested and variously charged with Grand Larceny, Offering a False Instrument for Filing, falsifying business records and criminal possession of a forged instrument.

Between March 2007 and March 2009, Reddick allegedly misrepresented to the New York City Housing Association’s (NYCHA) Section 8 voucher program that she is single and has a low income. As a result, NYCHA subsidized over $21,000 in rental subsidies when Reddick is in fact married and is ineligible to obtain subsidies due to her and her spouses’ combined income.

Between December 2005 and 2008, Coleman purportedly misrepresented to NYCHA that she was unemployed and has low income by filing to file affidavits of income with the NYCHA. However, investigators revealed that she was employed from 2007 and 2009 and earned an income that deems her ineligible for Section 8.

Between 2005 and 2008, Aquino supposedly failed to report her cohabitant’s residence in her apartment to the NYCHA. As a result the NYCHA lost approximately $10,074 to Aquino’s misrepresentations.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 7-15 years in prison.

Albertha Bull-Mitchell, a 73 year old New York City resident, was arrested and charged with concealing her income in a conspiracy to defraud the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) out of paying full rent for her apartment in Manhattan’s East Village.

According to the Criminal Complaints, Bull-Mitchell had allegedly worked under her alias “Albertha Bull” at a private health clinic to conceal her income from the NYCHA. Between 2005 and 2008, Bull-Mitchell purportedly filed false income reports, which defrauded NYCHA’s section 8 of approximately $26,000 in rental subsidies.

Bull-Mitchell now faces up to 23 years in prison for one count of Grand Larceny in the 3^rd Degree, and 4 counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1^st Degree.

If you are charged with or under investigation for NYCHA Section 8 Housing fraud, and need help with getting this fraud conviction expunged, call my office at (212)577-6677 to get professional legal assistance.

Frances Govan and Penelope Howard, two New York residents were arrested and charged with the unlawful sale, alteration and submission to the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) of a falsified Section 8 housing voucher.

The NYCHA Section 8 Housing Assistance Program assists low-income families in providing affordable housing in New York City. Section 8 recipients typically receive a voucher of rent subsidies to assist them in rent.

According to the criminal complaints, Frances Govan was an eligible Section 8 recipient. In November 2009, Govan allegedly sold her Section 8 housing voucher to Howard for money. Howard then purportedly altered the voucher’s expiration date and name, and submitted it to NYCHA Brooklyn office in order to obtain Section 8 benefits.

Govan now faces a maximum penalty of 1 year and 3 months in prison for Conspiracy in the 5^th Degree and Conspiracy in the 6^th Degree.

Howard now faces a maximum penalty of 14 years and 3 months in prison for Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the 2^nd Degree, Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1^st Degree, Attempted Welfare Fraud in the 4^th Degree, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the 3^rd Degree and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 2^nd Degree.

If you are charged with or under investigation for NYCHA Section 8 Housing fraud, and need help with getting this fraud conviction expunged, call my office at (212)577-6677 to get professional legal assistance.

Clarence McGann, a City Department of Correction Captain and his cohabitant Maria Torres, were found for defrauding the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) of approximately $60,000 in Section 8 rental subsidies.

McGann and Torres admitted to have misrepresented their personal cohabitant relationship as landlord and tenant sharing McGann’s house in New York. Between 2000 and 2008, McGann purposely failed to report his full income and his personal relationship with Torres to the NYCHA.

McGann now faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison for Grand Larceny in the 2^nd degree. His co-defendant now faces a maximum penalty of 4 years in prison for 3 counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1^st Degree.

Bernadette McFall, a local New York resident, was arrested and charged with Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the 2^nd Degree and Grand Larceny in the 4^th Degree for cashing a forged New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) subsidy check.

On July 28, 2009, McFall allegedly altered the name and date on a NYCHA Section 8 subsidy check for $1,195.00 in order to cash it at New York City bank. Investigation revealed later that McFall did not have permission or authority to possess or alter the check.

McFall now faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted on both charges of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the 2^nd Degree and Grand Larceny in the 4^th Degree.

Fraud and Abuse in the City Section 8 program has always been widespread by other types of social services fraud such as Medicaid fraud always get more attention. This is slowly changing as New York City is cracking down on Section 8 fraud.

Eight New York City Section 8 participants have been arrested last week in the Bronx and Brooklyn on charges of lying on their New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”) applications in order to qualify for city housing resulting in NYCHA being ripped off of about $175,000. Some defendants misrepresented their incomes and some lied about their household composition, hiding the fact that their relatives, whose incomes exceeded Section 8 eligibility guidelines lived in their subsidized apartments.

Section 8 fraud occurs when applicants lie about their income and household size. State criminal charges in New York City Section 8 fraud cases may include Grand Larceny, Offering a False Instrument for Filing, Welfare Fraud, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, Falsifying Business Records.  These are the charges most defendants are facing if prosecuted in state courts.

Section 8 fraud may be prosecuted in federal courts as well. Of the recent Section 8 alleged  fraudsters arrested last week, Lashanda Navarro of Bethlehem, PA, to her bad luck was arrested by the feds and charged with Theft of Public Funds. Upon conviction, this federal crime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The difference between Navarro and others is that she participated in the program funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, allegedly defrauded NYCHA of federal subsidies making this a federal case.

April Campbell of Manhattan, a Parol Officer with the state Division of Parole, is in trouble she was arrested today by the New York City Department of Investigations acting on a report from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (“HPD”) alleging that she had lied about her income on her Section 8 application filed with the HPD. New York City Section 8 is a program desiged to aid low income individuals in paying rents in NYC. Full income disclousre is required by applicants. According to the complaint filed in Manhattan Criminal Court, Campbell failed to disclose on her applications that she had been employed by several employers including the NYC Human Resources  Administration and the NYS Division of Parole earning over $57,000 a year. As the result, the City paid Campbell over $24,000 in Section 8 benefits to which she was not entitled.

Criminal charges for Section  fraud in New York City Grand Larceny and Offering a False Instrument  for Filing – exactly what Campbell has been charged with.