Former Apalachicola Housing Authority Director Indicted For Misuse of Funds

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Selena Jo Noblit, 42, of Panama City, Florida, appeared today in federal court, charged with stealing funds from a program that received federal grant money.

According to the criminal indictment, between June 2011 and May 2012, while serving as the executive director of the Apalachicola Housing Authority located in Franklin County, Florida, Noblit allegedly embezzled and misapplied funds under the control of the housing authority for her personal gain and for the benefit of others who were not entitled to the funds.

Noblit is scheduled for trial on August 5, 2013, before Judge Robert L. Hinkle.  She is facing a possible maximum sentence of ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special monetary assessment.              

U.S. Attorney Marsh praised the work of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, whose investigation led to the indictment in the case.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Winifred Acosta NeSmith and Eric K. Mountin.  

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial in a court of law.