US Virgin Islands’ housing authority accused of corruption as federal funding is suspended
HUD said the authority spent only $570,000 of $1.9 billion in disaster aid and found false certifications, improper payments and weak fraud controls.
- Housing Secretary Scott Turner announced Monday the suspension of funding for the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority after a HUD investigation uncovered widespread corruption and financial mismanagement.
- Nine years after the Virgin Islands received $1.9 billion in disaster recovery funding following Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, the Housing Finance Authority has spent only $570,000.
- Investigation data showed the Housing Finance Authority completed only two of 95 planned rental rehabilitation projects and zero of 329 housing projects, while spending just 2% of electrical grid recovery funding.
- Seeking $6.2 million in disaster-related funds already paid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Housing Finance Authority also employed a former chief operating officer now serving prison time for fraud.
- This failure has deprived Virgin Islanders of roughly $1.3 billion in intended assistance, while local legislators previously questioned why $4.2 million remained idle before the executive director resigned in February.
35 Articles
35 Articles
Housing Finance Authority cooperating with HUD investigation
The V.I. Housing Finance Authority responded Tuesday to a notice by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which has frozen $1.3 billion in federal disaster recovery funding pending an investigation.
US Suspends Sending Funds to Virgin Islands Housing Authority, Citing Corruption
The U.S. government moved Monday to suspend funding for the U.S. Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority after investigators uncovered what officials called widespread corruption, leaving residents still struggling to rebuild from the twin Category 5 hurricanes that slammed the territory nearly a decade ago. Housing Secretary Scott Turner announced the suspension, saying an investigation by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) …
HUD suspends disaster funding to U.S. Virgin Islands housing authority, saying mismanagement has kept $1.3 billion from hurricane survivors
Nine years after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the territory has spent only $570 million of $1.9 billion in federal recovery funds, HUD claims.
US suspends funding for US Virgin Islands’ housing authority and accuses it of corruption
The U.S. government announced Monday it suspended funding for the U.S. Virgin Islands’ housing authority after an investigation found widespread corruption, as residents still struggle to recover from two major hurricanes that hit nearly a decade ago.
U.S. Virgin Islands' housing authority accused of corruption as federal funding is suspended
U.S. Housing Secretary Scott Turner said Monday that nine years after the territory received $1.9 billion in disaster recovery funding, it has spent less than a third of the funds.
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