FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 9, 2009
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/MA
CONTACT: CHRISTINA DiIORIO-STERLING
PHONE: (617)748-3356
E-MAIL: USAMA.MEDIA@USDOJ.GOV
NORWOOD COUPLE CHARGED WITH DEFRAUDING HUD AND LOCAL HOUSING AUTHORITY OF OVER $100,000 IN SECTION 8 BENEFITS
BOSTON, MA - A Norwood man and woman were charged today in federal court with defrauding the Norwood Housing Authority (NHA) and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of more than $100,000 in Section 8 housing benefits.
United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and Peter C. Emerzian, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General, announced today that SONNY VO, age 52, and DENISE NGUYEN, aka DU THI NGUYEN, 51, both of Norwood, Massachusetts, were charged in an Indictment with 20 counts of mail fraud.
The Indictment alleges that VO purchased the property at 72 Heaton Avenue, Norwood (the “Heaton Ave. property”) in August 2001 and that he and NGUYEN lived there from at least September 2001 through September 2008, during which time the NHA made Section 8 rent subsidy payments to VO as the owner/landlord for the benefit of NGUYEN as the tenant. HUD regulations prohibit Section 8 assistance to any rental unit occupied by its owner. The Indictment alleges that VO and NGUYEN defrauded the NHA and HUD by concealing the fact that VO was living in the Heaton Ave. property with NGUYEN and her children. According to the charges, VO and NGUYEN each submitted documents to the NHA which represented falsely that the only persons residing in the Heaton Ave. property were NGUYEN and her children. The Indictment alleges that VO also provided mailing addresses for himself to the NHA other than at the Heaton Ave. property. By their scheme, it is alleged that VO received approximately
$104,496 in Section 8 payments, and NGUYEN thereby received a rental subsidy benefit in the same amount.
If convicted on these charges, VO and NGUYEN each face up to 20 years imprisonment on each count, to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Balthazard of Sullivan’s Economic Crimes Unit.
The details contained in the Indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###