HUD Section 8 Housing Manager Sentenced In Manhattan Federal Court To One Year And One Day In Prison In Connection With Bribery And False Statements Charges

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that NOVELETTE “PAT” CAMPBELL, a former manager of the federally subsidized Tricham Houses in Manhattan, was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to one year and one day in prison for accepting bribes in connection with federal program funds. CAMPBELL was convicted in April 2014 of six counts – one count of accepting bribes in connection with federal program funds, one count of conspiracy to accept bribes in connection with federal program funds, and four counts of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”). She was convicted after a one-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels, who also imposed today’s sentence.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “For concocting and carrying out a scheme to trade spots on the waiting list for the Tricham Houses apartments in exchange for bribes of up to $9,000, Novelette ‘Pat’ Campbell has earned herself a spot in the housing of a federal prison. I would like to thank the investigators at the HUD-OIG and ICE-HSI for their hard work on this case.”

According to the Indictment, as well as evidence presented at CAMPBELL’s trial:

From April 2000 through October 2011, CAMPBELL accepted bribes and engaged in a conspiracy to accept bribes from individuals who were not on a waiting list for subsidized housing at the Tricham Houses. Rather than maintain the integrity of the waiting list and process applications on a first-come, first-serve basis as required by HUD, CAMPBELL sold spots on the waiting list for bribes. The people who paid bribes took apartments away from people who were on the waiting list for years. CAMPBELL accepted bribes ranging from $2,000 through $9,000, depending on the size of the apartment.

In addition, CAMPBELL falsified HUD certifications by falsely representing that all administrative procedures had been followed, when they had not, and, on two occasions, forged the signature of a tenant. CAMPBELL also altered original tenant applications for Section 8 housing to falsely add bribe payers as relatives of original applicants.

In addition to her prison term, CAMPBELL, 55, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $35,500 in forfeiture and a $600 special assessment fee.

Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of HUD Office of the Inspector General and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. He noted that the investigation is continuing.

This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolina A. Fornos and Rahul Mukhi are in charge of the prosecution.