BOSTON – (RealEstateRama) — A Milford woman was charged today in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with stealing over $70,000 in rent payments owed to the Framingham Housing Authority (FHA).
Rosa A. Famania, 33, was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.
According to the complaint, in February 2010, Famania began working for FHA as an accounting assistant, and resigned from her position in August 2015, shortly after FHA suspended her in connection with an internal investigation into missing rent payments. Famania’s responsibilities at the FHA included collecting cash rent payments from FHA tenants; recording these cash payments in the electronic accounting system; securing the cash in a locked cash box; and, depositing the cash payments into a FHA bank account.
The complaint alleges that, between February 2014 and August 2015, Famania stole approximately 181 cash rental payments totaling $70,649 from FHA and utilized an FHA accounting software program to assist in concealing the theft. It is alleged that Famania came into possession of the rent payments, but did not deposit them into the FHA bank account. Instead, Famania allegedly kept the cash rent payments and adjusted the tenants’ balance downward in the electronic accounting system. Federal agents discovered that approximately $55,100 in cash was deposited into a joint account maintained by Famania and her boyfriend between July 2014 and July 2015, and between February 2014 and July 2014, nineteen U.S. Postal Service money orders totaling $17,900 were deposited into another bank account maintained by Famania.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Regional Office; Shelly Binkowski, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Investigation Service; Framingham Police Chief Kenneth Ferguson; and Stephen G. Keane, Executive Director of the Framingham Housing Authority, made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Bloomer of Ortiz’s Public Corruption Unit.
The details contained in the complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
