A federal grand jury in Boston indicted Yvonette Joseph, a Minnesota resident formerly of Holliston, Massachusetts, on Apr. 23 for allegedly obtaining more than $100,000 in emergency rental assistance funds through fraudulent means.
The case concerns the misuse of public funds intended to help those unable to pay rent due to financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities say that such actions undermine programs designed to support vulnerable populations.
According to charging documents, Joseph received over $100,000 from the California Department of Housing & Community Development in November 2021 after purported tenants named her as landlord for a Los Angeles property. The indictment alleges she then transferred these funds between accounts she controlled before wiring some money to Nigeria and other amounts to a cryptocurrency exchange. Joseph faces two counts each of theft of government money and unlawful monetary transactions; each charge carries a potential sentence of up to ten years in prison, supervised release, fines up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, forfeiture and restitution. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge according to U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Loren J. Sciurba, Deputy Inspector General at the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Inspector General announced the indictment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen A. Kearney is prosecuting the case.
The Emergency Rental Assistance program was established by Congress in 2021 to provide financial help with rent and utilities during the pandemic for eligible low-income households.
In May 2021, the Attorney General formed the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force within the Department of Justice (DOJ) with partner agencies across government “to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.” The task force focuses on investigating major domestic and international criminal actors involved in relief program fraud schemes while supporting agencies administering relief programs with resources and information sharing about enforcement efforts.
Anyone who has information about attempted COVID-19 related fraud can report it through an online form at the DOJ’s National Center for Disaster Fraud website.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts advances community initiatives on civil rights and violence prevention according to its official website. The office maintains facilities at Boston’s John Joseph Moakley United States Federal Courthouse as well as branch offices in Springfield and Worcester according to its official website. It is part of the United States Department of Justice according to its official website, employs over 200 attorneys, paralegals and professional staff according to its official website, enforces federal laws including national security threats and civil rights violations according to its official website, serves all residents across Massachusetts according to its official website, handles prosecutions as well as civil litigation for federal crimes throughout state offices while promoting public safety since tracing its origins back to 1789 according to its official website.
Authorities remind that “the details contained in charging documents are allegations” and that “the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”