Tampa Section 8 Housing Counselor Sentenced For Pocketing $486K+ In Phantom Landlord / Phony Tenant Scam

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa, Florida recently announced the sentencing of former Tampa Housing Authority (THA) official CALVIN COLEMAN, age 44, to 50 months’ imprisonment, 3 years' supervised release and was ordered to pay more than $486,000 in restitution. According to the announcement:

• COLEMAN was employed as a "Section 8 counselor" with the Tampa Housing Authority ("THA"), and was responsible for administering the Housing Choice/Section 8 program. From approximately August 2003 to June 2005 COLEMAN used his position as a Section 8 counselor to pilfer over $486,000 from public funds for his personal use.

• COLEMAN, along with other former THA officials CARLTON MILES and MARIO LOVETT, recruited numerous individuals to serve as bogus landlords, even though they neither owned approved rental properties nor had leases with legitimate Section 8 approved tenants. [...] Once the landlords had received their fraudulent subsidy check, COLEMAN took a substantial "kickback" from the proceeds.(1)

For more, see: Former Tampa Housing Authority Official Sentenced in Section 8 Fraud Scheme.

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(1) Since December 2007, nineteen individuals, including former THA officials CARLTON MILES and MARIO LOVETT, have been charged with theft of federal housing subsidy payments through the bogus landlord scheme. Seventeen of those defendants have pleaded guilty to felony charges. Only four remain to be sentenced. LOVETT was previously sentenced to 18 month’s imprisonment and MILES to 24 months’ imprisonment for their roles in the scheme. PhonyLandlordScamZeta