Rochester Housing Chief Moses Found Guilty on 28 Counts

BUFFALO, N.Y. – George H. Moses, 52, of Rochester, NY, isn’t building affordable housing anytime soon. A federal jury slammed the former Chairman of the Rochester Housing Authority (RHA) with 28 convictions today, finding him guilty of a sprawling scheme to defraud multiple nonprofits and steal from those he was meant to serve. The charges? A laundry list of greed: mail fraud, wire fraud, federal program fraud, tax fraud, money laundering, and even lying straight to the FBI.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, led by Trini E. Ross, detailed how Moses systematically siphoned funds from Rochester Housing Charities (RHC), North East Area Development (NEAD), and Quad A for Kids – organizations dedicated to aiding the elderly, disabled, low-income residents, and schoolchildren. Instead of helping the vulnerable, Moses used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle. We’re talking a vehicle, a Florida timeshare, a cruise, Knicks tickets at Madison Square Garden, health products, car repairs, personal credit card bills, and regular jaunts to Canada to visit his girlfriend.

But the personal spending was just the beginning. Moses also allegedly padded the payroll with family members at both NEAD and RHC. The feds say he funneled cash to roughly 17 relatives through the organizations, effectively turning public funds into a family slush fund. The cumulative penalty for these crimes? A staggering potential of over 200 years in prison. And it doesn’t stop there. The jury also found Moses guilty of two counts of lying to federal investigators regarding his shady hiring of former city councilmember Adam McFadden, who has already pleaded guilty to his own role in the RHC scam and is awaiting sentencing.

The scheme extended to defrauding the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). As Executive Director of NEAD, Moses applied for a $125,000 grant for renovations to the Freedom Market. He and an accomplice, Shirley Boone, allegedly fabricated documentation claiming $45,000 in construction work had been completed – work that never happened. DASNY then reimbursed NEAD the $45,000, and Moses diverted those funds to, you guessed it, pay his family members. The jury also convicted Moses on five counts of filing false tax returns from 2014 to 2018, failing to report income and falsely claiming deductions.

“As a leader in the Rochester Housing Authority, George Moses was in a position of trust with access to public funding intended for those most in need in our community,” stated U.S. Attorney Ross. “As a federal jury concluded, George Moses broke that trust, stole public funding, and will now face the consequences for the choices he made.” The investigation was a joint effort by the FBI, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. This wasn’t a victimless crime; it was a calculated betrayal of the people of Rochester.

Sentencing is scheduled before Chief Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard A. Resnick, Melissa M. Marangola, and Meghan K. McGuire handled the prosecution. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the sentencing and any further developments. This case serves as a stark reminder: when you abuse public trust, the feds are watching, and the consequences can be severe.