An executive with the Atlanta Housing Authority will see significant jail time after pleading guilty to a fraud scheme.
During her time as senior vice president at the state agency, Tracey Jones allegedly stole more than $300,000 in federal housing and pandemic funds allocated to the agency. In a federal courtroom Feb. 2, Jones pleaded guilty to the crimes, entering a plea over the matter.
According to WSB-TV, the charges included conspiracy to commit theft of government funds, wire fraud, and credit application fraud. In
the plea agreement, she admitted to taking the money to defraud the housing agency.The indictment states that she stole the money through several means, including falsifying documents to help her family members cash in on the scheme. The agency helps local residents with affordable housing through various programs and resources, including rent vouchers that Jones used.
Jones h
ad her son’s girlfriend apply for funds to pay rent for a home Jones owed, totaling to $63,000 in misallocated funds. Furthermore, the prosecution claimed Jones fabricated another identity to gain another $36,000 from federal pandemic relief dollars.The disingenuous behavior continued
on, with Jones reportedly going as far as staging a domestic violence incident to get the housing vouchers approved. However, her biggest payout came from faking more paperwork to get almost $300k to cover the mortgage on the home she rented out.Former employees at the agency called the findings “devastating,” especially since the money was intended to help Atlanta families in actual need.
“I think it’s devastating. When I saw the story, I was blown away by the level of deceit and arrogance,” the former employee said.
Her former employer also released a statement on the fraud scheme. The Atlanta Housing Authority noted that their policies to prevent fraud were “deliberately circumvented” by Jones, as they hope to maintain ethical procedures for the future.
“Atlanta Housing had policies and internal controls in place designed to safeguard public resources. During today’s hearing, it was established that safeguards were deliberately circumvented by the individual involved,” wrote the agency.
It continued, “Consistent with our policies and applicable law, Atlanta Housing has taken appropriate action and continues to strengthen its oversight and compliance practices. Our focus remains on serving residents, protecting program integrity, and maintaining public trust. Because this is an active legal matter, we will not comment further at this time.”
For the crimes, Jones faces over 20 years in prison. A judge will formally sentence her in May.
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