McKean County Man Charged with Defrauding Housing Voucher Program

ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Smethport, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on a charge of theft of government property, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.

The one-count indictment named Gary Herzog, 75, of Smethport, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment presented to the court, Herzog represented himself to be property owner for a tenant in the Housing Choice Voucher program. He failed to inform the McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority that he transferred ownership of the property where the tenant was living back in 2007.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.