NEWS RELEASE
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI
BETH PHILLIPS
Contact Don Ledford, Public Affairs ● (816) 426-4220 ● 400 East Ninth Street, Room 5510 ● Kansas City, MO 64106
www.usdoj.gov../index.html
FEBRUARY 2, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APARTMENT MANAGER PLEADS GUILTY TO
MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS TO HUD
TRADED SEXUAL FAVORS FROM SECTION 8 TENANTS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the former manager of a Kansas City, Mo., apartment complex pleaded guilty in federal court today to making false statements to the government about the incomes of Section 8 tenants in exchange for sexual favors.
Meredith F. Sullivan, 55, of Kansas City, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Scott O. Wright this morning to a federal information that charges him with making a false statement.
Sullivan was the on-site manager at Sycamore Grove Apartments, 2920 E. 17th St., Kansas City, Mo. By pleading guilty today, Sullivan admitted that, from June 1, 2004, to July 1, 2009, he provided false information as to tenant income and household composition on HUD tenant certifications and re-certifications, in exchange for sexual relations (or the hope of sexual relations) with Section 8 tenants. As a result, Sullivan caused HUD to overpay Section 8 tenant rental subsidies in the approximate amount of $34,444.
Sullivan also improperly moved applications on the Section 8 waiting list ahead of other applicants in exchange for sexual relations (or the hope of sexual relations) with the applicants. By improperly bumping applicants ahead on the waiting list, Sullivan caused HUD to overpay Section 8 rental subsidies in the amount of $104,167.
As part of the scheme, Sullivan used his work computer to create 15 false letters, and forged signatures on those letters, for tenant files to corroborate the false income information provided in the tenant certification and re-certifications.
Under federal statutes, Sullivan is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000 and an order of restitution. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Mahoney. It was investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General.
****************
This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at
http://www.justice.gov../index.html