FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 25, 2009
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/MA
CONTACT: CHRISTINA DiIORIO-STERLING
PHONE: (617)748-3356
E-MAIL: USAMA.MEDIA@USDOJ.GOV
WORCESTER RESIDENT SENTENCED FOR FRAUD
BOSTON, MA - A Worcester man was sentenced late yesterday in federal court in Springfield after being convicted of fraud related to federal housing benefits and making false statements to obtain federal disability benefits.
Acting United States Attorney Michael K. Loucks, Diane Hill DeChellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General and Jeff Paula, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General for the Social Security Administration, Office of Investigations - Boston Field Division, announced today that LAEL WILLIAMS, age 55, of Worcester, MA, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor to serve one year of home confinement and five years of probation and to pay restitution of $26,874. On May 15, 2008, WILLIAMS pled guilty to conspiracy and theft of government money related to federal housing benefits and on September 22, 2008, WILLIAMS pleaded guilty to making false statement to obtain federal social security disability benefits.
From December, 1999 to January, 2005, WILLIAMS and co-defendant JAMIE AYERS fraudulently obtained approximately $28,000 in federal Section 8 housing benefits for residences in Worcester and Ware, MA. WILLIAMS and AYERS failed to notify the appropriate housing agencies that: (1) they were married; (2) one or both of them actually owned the residences they were living in and supposedly renting from independent landlords; and (3) they were running two businesses, Absolute Staffing and A&W Trucking, at the same time they were receiving need based housing assistance. In addition, in 2005 and 2007 WILLIAMS made false statements to the Social Security Administration to obtain federal disability benefits.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General and the Office of Inspector General for the Social Security Administration, Office of Investigations - Boston Field Division. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin O’Regan in Loucks’ Springfield Office.
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