Ex-Pierce County general public housing finance director pleads guilty in $6.9 million fraud
Cova Campbell, the former finance director, pleaded guilty to using virtually $7 million from the community company in 3 many years.
Editor’s take note: the above online video ran in 2019.
A previous Pierce County Housing Authority finance director pleaded responsible on Friday to wire fraud in link with her scheme to steal almost $7 million to purchase private property, the U.S. Attorney’s Workplace announced.
Cova Campbell, also identified as Cova Hunter, was fired from her posture as finance director at the Pierce County Housing Authority in 2019 after the state auditor uncovered fiscal irregularities.
She had been in cost of the community agency’s $32 million annual spending plan, with very little oversight. Campbell was arrested last yr in Oklahoma.
The auditor’s office described that Campbell and her spouse had stolen $6.9 million because 2016 and used the revenue to purchase assets in Oklahoma, among the other points.
The Pierce County Housing Authority is a community government agency that offers housing options for folks with reduced incomes. Campbell was in charge of the housing authority’s spending budget, which will come from federal, neighborhood and point out programs, as perfectly as from hire on its houses.
The auditor documented that the fraud included $25,000 in own purchases on the Housing Authority’s credit playing cards, $3.2 million in transactions disguised as vendor payments, $635,000 in wire transfers to an out of state bank and far more than $3 million in wire transfers straight to Campbell’s individual account.
The wire transfers were as higher as $500,000, in accordance to the U.S. Attorney’s Place of work.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Business, Campbell also falsified invoices, labeling them as investments, insurance policies or maintenance.
Campbell pleaded responsible to employing the income to main her property in Oklahoma, for enhancements to her Lakewood house and for vacation, such as outings to Las Vegas and the chartering of a personal jet, according to the announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office environment. She also admitted to applying the income for the buy of two vehicles and for gambling and net gaming.
Campbell faces up to 20 yrs in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Decide Robert J. Bryan on April 8, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Workplace. She also need to spend restitution of $7 million.
