Sunday, May 03, 2015

Woman Cops Plea To Fraudulently Scoring $135K+ In Section 8 Housing Subsidies By Purporting To Be A Low-Income Tenant In A Building She Owned & Controlled; HUD Duped Into Sending Rent Checks To A Fabricated Landlord

From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (Boston, Massachusetts):
  • A Boston woman pleaded guilty [] to stealing over $135,000 in public housing benefits, which she obtained by lying about her living situation and employment. Astride Dubuisson, 42, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to an Information charging her with stealing public money.
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    In 2006, Dubuisson applied to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for housing benefits, claiming that she needed help paying rent for an apartment on Vernon Street in Hyde Park. In fact, Dubuisson owned the entire Vernon Street building, which would disqualify her from receiving benefits.

    Based on her falsehoods, HUD approved her application and began sending benefits checks to a fabricated landlord. From 2006 to 2013, Dubuisson cashed those government checks, which totaled more than $135,000, and repeatedly lied about her ownership of the property and her income.