Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Joseph Clarke, have announced the arrests of three women for fraudulently receiving more than $120,000 in tax dollars from public assistance housing benefits.

According to authorities, Tracy Warren, Terry Homes, and Megan Benson have been arrested for fraudulently obtaining public assistance benefits administered through the Montgomery County Housing Authority and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

These government housing authorities provided Warren, Homes and Benson with rental assistance, in the form of government subsidized rental payments, based upon their representations that they met certain income and eligibility requirements.  

However, investigations revealed that Warren, Homes and Benson continually falsified their  respective public housing applications by failing to truthfully report and update their household  compositions and incomes.   
As a result, these three individuals received a combined total of $123,685 in fraudulent housing benefits from  the Montgomery County Housing Authority and the  federal government. 

Presently, Warren, Homes and Benson are charged with theft by unlawful taking, welfare  fraud, unsworn falsification to authorities, securing the execution of documents by deception, and related charges. 

Warren, of Pottstown, began receiving housing benefits in October 2000 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). To receive housing benefits, Warren certified that her household consisted of herself and her four dependents, and that she earned no income from outside employment. However, in June 2004, an investigation by the  Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General (OIG) revealed that Warren added an additional adult's name to her lease, but never reported the modification of her household to HUD.   

Thereafter, from  July 2006 through 2010, Warren continued to  falsify  her  required certifications to  receive   the housing  benefit  by  failing   to   report  this   individual as  residing with   her.
Moreover, the  investigation revealed that Warren, and  the  undisclosed adult residing   with    her,    received  unreported    wages    from    various   employers throughout  the   time   she   was   receiving public assistance.    
In  total,  Warren fraudulently  received   $53,107.00 in  the   form   of  ineligible subsidized  rental assistance. 

Holmes, of  North   Hills, began  receiving   rental  assistance benefits in  September 2002 from  the  Montgomery County Housing Authority.
To receive the  benefits, Holmes certified that she  lived  with  only  her  son  and that  their only income was through  social   security  and   child   support.    In August of 2011, an  investigation performed by the  OIG revealed that  Holmes failed  to disclose to the  Housing Authority that her  husband also  resided in her household.   Additionally, Holmes failed  to disclose that her  husband and/ or son  were  earning incomes from  2008 through 2011.  As a result of her  failure to disclose her    additional  occupants   and   incomes,   Holmes received $31,965.00 in the  form  of ineligible subsidized rental assistance.

Benson, of  North   Hills, began receiving rental assistance benefits in  December 1999  from  the  Montgomery County  Housing Authority. From 2009 to  2011,  Benson certified  to  the   Housing Authority that  her household was  limited to herself and three children, and that they  received no income from  wages.  However, the  OIG investigation revealed that her  boyfriend lived   with   her   in   the   subsidized  housing  unit  from   2009  through  2011.
Moreover, the  investigation also revealed that  her   boyfriend  was   earning a consistent income during that same period  of time.   
At no time did Benson disclose her change in household composition and/ or means of income, as she was required to do during her  annual  Public Housing Applications.  As a result of her failure to disclose her additional  occupants  and  incomes,  Benson received $37,813 in the  form of ineligible subsidized rental assistance.

Montgomery County District Attorney is pleased to work in  conjunction with  the  Office of Inspector General to reduce the  waste and fraud in the  public housing program and   to ensure that taxpayer dollars are  used  efficiently. 

In light of the  tightening state  and  local   budget constraints,  the   Montgomery County District Attorney's Office  will  continue to  work  with   the  Office  of the Inspector General to catch and  prosecute those receiving unwarranted  benefits from   the   Montgomery County  Housing Authority and  associated  state  and federal assistance  programs. 
Unsecured bail was  set  for all three defendants. Preliminary hearings were scheduled for Benson and Holmes before  Magisterial District Judge Patricia Zaffarano on July 19 at 9:45 a.m. in Ambler. 

The preliminary hearing for Warren is scheduled before  Magisterial District Judge  Edward Kropp,  Sr. on July 26  at 1 p.m. in Pottstown.
The cases will be  prosecuted by  the  Captain of the  Economic Crimes Team, Assistant District Attorney John Walko and ADA Noah Marlier.