Federal Charges Against Housing Authority Executive
Federal prosecutors in Georgia's Northern District announced on Monday that a high-ranking official from the Atlanta Housing Authority has been indicted on fraud allegations. Tracy Denise Jones, serving as a senior vice president, is accused of illegally obtaining government funds through housing assistance and COVID-19 relief programs.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Jones allegedly misappropriated over $36,000 from Section 8 housing payments by enrolling family members in the program for her rental property. She is also charged with fraudulently acquiring more than $27,000 from pandemic relief initiatives.
"A longtime senior executive of one of the largest housing authorities in the nation, Jones was entrusted to deliver vast sums of government assistance to our community's neediest members," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "But Jones allegedly exploited a variety of assistance programs and chose to line her own pockets using an alternate identity, multiple business entities, a false affidavit, and a cadre of associates willing to lie on her behalf."
Multiple Fraud Schemes Alleged
Prosecutors claim Jones used fabricated documents to include relatives in the Section 8 program, enabling her to receive payments for housing them in her own rental home. The indictment states she employed a pseudonym and shell company to hide her involvement.
In relation to COVID-19 relief, Jones is accused of falsely representing her business as operational with employees to secure funds from the U.S. Small Business Administration. When initially denied, she appealed stating, "I am truly a[n] honest business owner." In another part of her appeal, she mentioned, "I hear the stories how people abused the PPP loans to establish a lavish lif[e] style. That is not me."
Additional charges include mortgage fraud for refinancing her rental property while claiming it as her primary residence on a $219,780 loan application.
Legal Proceedings and Response
Jones appeared before United States Magistrate Judge John K. Larkins III on federal charges including conspiracy to commit theft of government funds and wire fraud. The investigation is being handled by the HUD Office of Inspector General, with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Garrett L. Bradford.
As of Monday, Jones remained listed on the housing authority's website as part of the senior leadership team. Atlanta Housing issued a statement regarding the case, noting, "As this is an active legal matter, Atlanta Housing is unable to comment at this time. We will follow all appropriate protocols related to both internal and external reviews of all claims."
