Ashley Nicole Lear, 43, of Junction City, Kentucky, was sentenced on July 30 to 13 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Chad Merdith for three counts of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds. According to her plea agreement, Lear committed multiple acts of financial misconduct while serving as Executive Director of the Stanford Housing Authority in Lincoln County from July 2023 to March 2025.
Investigators determined that Lear paid herself unauthorized bonuses and inflated her salary beyond her contracted $58,000. She also provided forged board meeting minutes to auditors as justification for the falsified increases and bonuses. In addition, Lear used the agency’s credit card for personal expenses such as restaurant bills, salon services, retail shopping, travel accommodations, and concert tickets. She also used a housing authority vehicle for personal travel.
Specific incidents cited in the charges include unauthorized wire transfers from the agency’s bank account into her personal Chime account labeled as bonuses and use of the housing authority credit card at a tanning salon. During this period of misconduct, the Stanford Housing Authority received more than $10,000 in federal funds—including a $138,528 payment from HUD Treasury—and Lear embezzled or misapplied over $5,000 in property belonging to the organization.
As part of her sentence, Lear was ordered to pay $120,358.21 in restitution. Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Shawn Rice, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by HUD-OIG and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Mattingly Williams on behalf of the United States. The Department of Justice announced on April 7 that it had created a National Fraud Enforcement Division focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against Americans—a move supporting President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky enforces federal laws across its jurisdiction—including initiatives addressing drug abuse prevention and elder protection—and works with various agencies such as through its Elder Justice Task Force and Heroin Education Action Team, according to the official website.