Janice Cooks, HUD Fund Embezzlement, Georgia 2017

Janice Cooks, a 53-year-old woman from Lithonia, Georgia, has been sentenced to four months in prison for embezzling HUD funds intended for disabled women and children.

According to U.S. Attorney Byung J. 'BJay' Pak, Cooks mismanaged nearly $1 million in grant funds designated for housing for disabled women and children. The funds were intended to provide housing for 14 disabled women and their children, but Cooks rented between 22 and 24 apartments at the same apartment complex and used HUD funds for business expenses and personal expenses such as travel, dining out, and shopping.

Cooks was convicted of these charges on September 8, 2017, after she pleaded guilty. She was sentenced to four months in prison and eight months of home confinement to be followed by three years supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, and pay restitution of $198,907 to HUD and $35,812.51 to Ashley Cascade Apartments.

The case was investigated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C. Schulman and Assistant U.S. Attorney John S. Ghose prosecuted the case.

Janice Cooks, whose exact criminal charges were not specified in the source, was required to submit a detailed budget outlining the costs of her program, Quilt SOLE, and attend a training conference to ensure she understood the rules and regulations surrounding receiving federal grant funds.

Despite receiving funding for only 14 apartments, Cooks rented between 22 and 24 apartments at the same apartment complex and used HUD funds for business expenses and personal expenses such as travel, dining out, and shopping.

As a result of her misappropriation of the HUD funds, every family she was supposed to provide housing for received eviction notices and were forced to find other places to live.

Janice Cooks, 53, of Lithonia, Georgia, has been sentenced to four months in prison and eight months of home confinement to be followed by three years supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, and pay restitution of $198,907 to HUD and $35,812.51 to Ashley Cascade Apartments.

The case was investigated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C. Schulman and Assistant U.S. Attorney John S. Ghose prosecuted the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/georgia-women-sentenced-stealing-hud-funds-intended-disabled-women-and-children