James T. Jacks
Acting United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

FORMER LANCASTER HOUSING AGENCY EMPLOYEE
PLEADS GUILTY IN PUBLIC CORRUPTION CASE

DALLAS — A former counselor with the Lancaster Housing Authority, Audrey Michelle Hall, pled guilty on Friday to one count of making a false writing or document to a federal agency, announced acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Hall, 46, of Dallas, Texas, faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater on July 24, 2009.

Hall was employed at the Lancaster Housing Authority, also known as the Lancaster Housing Agency, from July 2000 through August 2004. The Lancaster Housing Authority received Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds through the Section 8 low income housing program, which provided financial assistance to low income individuals by subsidizing rents. The Lancaster Housing Authority accepted and screened applications for this Section 8 rental assistance and disbursed Section 8 funds to individuals who were financially eligible under HUD and Lancaster Housing Authority guidelines.

In court documents, Hall admitted that in June 2004, she knowingly submitted a false and fraudulent document, a “Request for Tenancy Approval,” to the Lancaster Housing Authority, falsely representing that “E.T.”, the named tenant, was applying to receive HUD housing assistance payments. This form also contained the forged signature of tenant “E.T.” as the head of household for the listed tenant address. Hall further admitted that she submitted documents containing false information and forged signatures in order to mislead the Lancaster Housing Authority and HUD and cause fraudulent Section 8 payments to be made.

The case is being investigated by HUD-Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Jarvis.

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