ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Pernell Jackson, 56, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty to making materially false statements in a matter involving the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that between 2009 and 2014, Jackson resided in an apartment complex in Greece, NY and received a rent reduction through an income-based HUD subsidy program. During that time period, the defendant knowingly falsified HUD income certification forms by failing to report that he had obtained VA benefits belonging to his deceased aunt, totaling $102,622.76. The investigation revealed that the VA continued to make regular payments into Jackson’s aunt’s bank account for approximately seven years following her death. The defendant, who had access to the account, regularly withdrew the money between 2007 and 2015. The fraud was discovered during a VA audit, which led to an investigation by VA and HUD Offices of the Inspector General.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division, under the direction of Resident Agent-in-Charge Jeffrey K. Stachowiak, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Brad Geary.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2018, before Judge Geraci.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
