Florida woman pleads guilty in Mass. housing fraud case

BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP)– A woman who formerly worked for a Massachusetts housing agency has pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud in a Boston federal court.

Alihea Jones, 51, of Brandon, Florida, is accused of defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

According to prosecutors, Jones worked at the DHCD remotely for 6 months in 2022, with the Residential Aid to Families in Transition (RAFT) program, which provides funds to assist low-income Massachusetts residents facing eviction and other housing emergencies. After being terminated from the job, she was still able to access the files of four RAFT program participants and authorized electronic payments to their landlords in the amounts of $7,500, $8,800, $6,925 and $10,000, but changed the routing and bank account numbers to her business, her personal account and that of two friends. After these transfers went through, each friend paid Jones a $2,000 kickback.

Additionally, Jones falsely filed for and obtained a $187,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan from a Massachusetts lender, which the SBA later forgave. When applying, Jones said she had had 17 employees and an average monthly payroll expense of $74,800, but she employed no one.

In total, Jones caused a loss of $222,074, with $33,225 payable to the DHCD and $188,849 payable to the SBA.

Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on January 16, 2025. She could face up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gain or loss, whichever is greater; restitution; and forfeiture.

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