A former Covington Housing Authority manager has pleaded guilty to making more than $35,000 in personal purchases on an agency credit card intended for work-related use.
Erica Morris, 34, of Covington, was charged with one count of federal theft Sept. 13, U.S. Attorney John Horn’s office said in a news release Wednesday.
She made more than 60 unauthorized purchases and bought thousands of dollars worth of Visa gift cards and used them to pay her husband’s child support costs and other personal expenses from June 2015 to May 2016, according to Horn’s office.
“Morris stole money that was supposed to be used to serve the low-income families of Covington and used the money to support her own lifestyle,” Horn said.
She also used her access to the housing authority’s telephone account to purchase an iPhone 6 for a family member, authorities said.
Facing a federal investigation, Morris resigned as administrative manager Sept. 30, 2016, according to the Covington Housing Authority.
She worked for the agency for more than 10 years and managed accounting, bookkeeping, human resources, payroll accounts, payable and receivable accounts and service contracts.
Nadine Gurley, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, said the department is dedicated to safeguarding against those seeking to defraud “programs meant for America’s most vulnerable population.”
“The guilty plea announced today is a reminder to citizens that we will aggressively investigate industry professionals who attempt to steal from our programs,” Gurley said.
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