South Florida Feds: Hubby, Wife Used Multiple Aliases, Social Security Numbers To Illegally Score Section 8, Other Gov't Benefits While Accumulating Real Estate Holdings

From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (West Palm Beach, Florida):

• Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, [and other reasonably high-ranking officials], announced the indictment of defendants Gloria Nereida Valle-Clas, 48, and Alexander Gonzalez, 40, of Loxahatchee, Florida.
  
  According to the indictment, Valle-Clas obtained two social security numbers (SSN), one which was originally associated with her birth name, “Nereida Valle,” and one of which was originally associated with the name “Gloria Lopes Clas.”
  
  From at least December, 2003, to January, 2013, she used the SSN for “Nereida Valle” to obtain federal housing, social security, food, cash, and medical benefits from HUD, SSA, USDA and HHS.
  
  At the same time, she used the SSN for “Gloria Lopes Clas” to buy real estate in both Broward and Palm Beach Counties, including over an acre of property in Loxahatchee, Florida on which she built an approximately 2,700 square foot residence.
  
  Her husband, Gonzalez, also bought real estate in Broward County. When applying for federal benefits, she failed to disclose her or her husband’s ownership of property, as well as other assets and income. In 2009, after obtaining over $330,000 in mortgages on the Loxahatchee Property, Valle-Clas failed to disclose her receipt of federal benefits in obtaining a $145,000 loan charge-off.
  
  Valle-Clas, who formally changed her name from “Nereida Valle” to “Gloria Nereida Valle-Clas” in 2003, used approximately 12 aliases in perpetrating the scheme, most of which were variations on “Nereida Valle” and “Gloria Lopes Clas.” Gonzalez used approximately eight aliases, most of which were variations on his birth name, “Alexander Jose Gonzalez Flores.”

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• HUD-OIG Special Agent in Charge Lester Fernandez stated, “The United States Department of Housing & Urban Development - Office of Inspector General is dedicated to ensuring these rental assistance funds are properly accounted for and made available to needy recipients. I am proud of the combined investigative efforts which led to this indictment. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners toward eliminating public assistance fraud in HUD’s programs.”

For the U.S. Attorney press release, see Loxahatchee Pair Indicted In Conspiracy To Defraud Banks And Federal Benefit Programs.