Kalkaska, Michigan Woman Sentenced

SOUTH BEND - Michelle Seljan, age 47, of Kalkaska, Michigan, was sentenced before South Bend District Court Judge Jon E. DeGuilio for theft of federal funds and tax evasion, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.     

Seljan was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment followed by 2 years of supervised release.  Seljan was also ordered to pay $633,628 in restitution to HUD and $201,696 in restitution to IRS.

U.S. Attorney Kirsch said, "Seljan stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Hammond Housing Authority.  Her greed earned her a lengthy prison sentence.  My office has zero tolerance for public officials who abuse their positions for personal financial gain.  Our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively investigate, while we will continue to prosecute those who betray the public trust.”

According to documents in this case, from about 2013 to 2015, Seljan worked as a supervisor at the Hammond Housing Authority.   She embezzled Housing Authority funds by using their computers to divert $633,628 of Housing Authority funds to bank accounts she had created.  During that same time, she attempted to evade federal income taxes by submitting tax returns that failed to report the embezzled income.  

This case is being investigated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.  The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Schaffer.

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