PHILADELPHIA – In a shocking display of greed and corruption, former Chester Housing Authority Director of Public Housing Norman D. Wise, 58, of Mullica Hill, NJ, has been sentenced to 37 months in prison, one year of supervised release, and $544,967 in restitution for his role in a bribery and fraud scheme.
Wise’s accomplices, Douglas E. Daniel, 65, of Philadelphia, PA, who served as Housing Program Manager and Wise’s chief assistant, and Leonard F. Coleman, 54, of Paulsboro, NJ, a contractor, were also sentenced to prison time for their involvement in the schemes.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Wise and Daniel created a contracting company that they used to fraudulently bill the Chester Housing Authority (CHA) and obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds. Meanwhile, Coleman paid off Wise and Daniel in exchange for contracting work awarded to him at the CHA.
The bribery scheme was uncovered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, who investigated the defendants for their involvement in the schemes.
Wise pleaded guilty in September 2023 to theft from an organization receiving federal funds and wire fraud, while Daniel pleaded guilty to bribery concerning federal programs, theft from an organization receiving federal funds and aiding and abetting, and wire fraud. Coleman pleaded guilty to bribery concerning federal programs. All three defendants were sentenced in March 2024.
“These defendants lined their pockets at the expense of an agency tasked with the critically important mission of providing affordable housing,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. “They not only compromised CHA’s efficacy and reputation out of sheer greed, they betrayed the public’s trust. My office and our partners will continue to bring such corruption to light and those responsible to justice.”
Wise was sentenced to 37 months in prison, one year of supervised release, and $544,967 in restitution. Daniel was sentenced to 13 months and one day of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and $544,967 in restitution. Coleman was sentenced to one week in prison, three years of supervised release, and $68,502 in restitution.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen, and the investigation was conducted by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners will continue to vigorously pursue those who seek to exploit the systems meant to aid our community and our citizens, and bring them to justice.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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