Oversight With Eyes Closed

dollar bill washington's eyeThe Federal Housing Finance Agency states, “Our mission is to ensure the Housing Government-sponsored Enterprises operate in a safe and sound manner so they serve as a reliable source of liquidity and funding for housing finance and community investment. Together these institutions provide more than $5 trillion in funding for the U.S. mortgage markets and financial institutions.”

Date Published:
July 21, 2016
News Type:
News
Program Area(s):
Public and Indian Housing

(Source: milforddailynews.com) FRAMINGHAM – A former Framingham Housing Authority accountant, who doctored tenants’ computer records and skimmed money from their rent payments, faces federal charges she stole more than $70,000 in cash over the course of a year and a half, authorities said Tuesday.

Framingham Police arrested Rosa Famania, 33, at her 6 Dennis Road, Milford, home on Tuesday on behalf of federal authorities, who had obtained a warrant for her arrest. She is charged with theft from a program receiving federal funds. Famania resigned last Aug. 31 after she was suspended by the Housing Authority that month.
According to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, Famania began working as an accounting assistant in February 2010.

The investigation began on Aug. 6, 2015, as a result of a mistake by one of Famania’s co-workers. Famania was out sick on Aug. 5, 2015, when several people paid their rent in cash. The money, with receipts, was put in a cash lock box – for which Famania was responsible – kept on Famania’s desk. The following day, Famania left work early. A co-worker, meaning to open a petty cash box, instead mistakenly opened the rent cash box and discovered two of the rent payments – $300 and $560 – were missing.

“A subsequent search by the FHA accounting department employee revealed that the $560 and $300 duplicate copies of the receipts that were wrapped around the tenant’s cash payment when they were placed in the lock cash rental box the previous day were torn up and thrown away in Famania’s trash barrel,” according to the affidavit.

The authority began an internal investigation…