Whitefish Housing Authority Exec. Confesses Embezzling

Support your local Auditor.  They help the police arrest the white-collar and professional criminals.  Days earlier I wrote about a bookkeeper.  This latest one is a former executive director.

Dwarne Lamont Hawkins plead guilty before a judge to embezzlement of federal funds from the Whitefish Housing Authority which he had led.  His scheme involved fake invoices and a couple wire transfers.

First the Invoices

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office press release, between May 2023 and January 2024, Whitefish Housing received just under $470,000 from the federal Housing & Urban Development.  Hawkins siphoned off some of this funding by making bogus invoices from businesses that he had controlled, using the Authority's credit card for personal expenses and inflating the payroll.

Then the Wires

Well, somebody better pay the bills.  Hawkins did this himself by wiring the money.  The investigation found two wire transfers from the Housing Authority's account: the first on January 16th for $76,750 and the second six days later for $23,250.  Amazing, it adds up to exactly $100,000.

Add in the payroll manipulation and the credit card purchases, and the estimated total in restitution is around $150,000.

The Higher the Position, the Higher the Penalty

The bookkeeper is getting just over a year in prison and house confinement.  The former executive director, the mastermind Mr. Hawkins is now looking forward to up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.  The press release didn't mention repaying the restitution.

Oh I hope repayment is added on.  My previous view on liquidating assets still stands.  We have people of all walks of life breaking the law.  Frankly my Dear Reader, I'm okay with the law breaking them a bit.

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