Two Woodward County Residents Resolve Allegations of Submitting a False Claim for COVID Funded Emergency Rental Assistance to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Housing Authority

OKLAHOMA CITY – BREANNA PARADA and MONICA MONTES of Woodward, Oklahoma, have agreed to resolutions to resolve civil claims stemming from allegations that Parada submitted a false claim for COVID funded Emergency Rental Assistance to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Housing Authority, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.

In a Consent Judgment entered by the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma (United States v. Parada, Case No. CIV-25-00136-JD), Parada admitted that she submitted an application for COVID funded Emergency Rental Assistance to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Housing Authority in which she falsely represented she was renting a home when she in fact owned it. In support of her application, she submitted a fraudulent lease agreement signed by her and Montes, fraudulent eviction notices related to the same home, and delinquent utility payment notices for the same home. Based on the submission of the false claim, Parada received $5,564.84, and Montes received $200.00, in Emergency Rental Assistance funds to which they were not entitled.  To resolve the claims, Parada agreed to the entry of a Consent Judgment against her in the amount of $19,025.00, and Montes settled the claims against her by paying the United States $1,000.00. By entering into a Settlement Agreement, Montes did not admit liability, and the United States did not make any concessions about the legitimacy of the claims.

The Consent Judgment and Settlement Agreement allows the parties to avoid the delay, expense, inconvenience, and uncertainty involved in litigating the case.

Investigative assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General, and Office of Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gallegos prosecuted the case.