U. S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming | U.S. Department of Justice
A Missouri man from Moberly has been indicted for allegedly obtaining $284,000 through fraudulent means intended for pandemic rental assistance. Steven W. Hendren, aged 32, was charged by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis with three counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to the indictment, Hendren submitted fraudulent applications for rental assistance to the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) starting in March 2021. The MHDC was responsible for distributing federal Emergency Rental Assistance funds. It is alleged that Hendren falsely claimed to be a landlord and provided fictitious lease agreements and financial statements, inflating rent amounts in his applications.
The indictment states that the MHDC transferred a total of $284,840.44 to Hendren's account, which he reportedly used for personal expenses, including buying a 2020 GMC Yukon.
It is important to note that charges in an indictment are accusations and do not prove guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is handling the prosecution.
Individuals with information regarding pandemic-related fraud are encouraged to contact the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or report via their web complaint form.
