An Arizona man was sentenced last week for misrepresenting his employment status to obtain Department of Housing and Urban Development housing assistance.
Jalil Al-Kinani was sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation and must pay restitution to HUD following his sentencing last week in a Maricopa County court, according to a press release. The case was filed in January by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat.
The prosecution, while not a federal case, follows other recent enforcement by HUD's
"This outcome reinforces our commitment to protecting the integrity of taxpayer-funded programs that are meant to provide critical housing assistance to the most vulnerable in our communities," said HUD OIG Special Agent in Charge Robert Lawler, in a press release.
Al-Kinani, who pleaded guilty in June, misrepresented his employment status and income to HUD to obtain assistance between June 2019 to November 2020. While claiming to receive an income of $100 a month on HUD paperwork, feds said Al-Kinani actually earned $59,952.72 that year, which would've rendered him ineligible for assistance.
Al-Kinani will pay back the $13,784 he received in financial assistance from HUD, according to prosecutors. The press release didn't specify the type of housing assistance the defendant was accused of misappropriating.
Some portions of HUD housing assistance are slated to be axed in President Trump's
The HUD OIG in late June also announced a former HUD employee pleaded guilty to fraud, in making a false claim about her remote work activity, which cost the government over $200,000. That former worker is scheduled to be sentenced in September.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which Director Bill Pulte has rebranded as U.S. Federal Housing, has made its own push in recent months to pursue
