Two women have pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to steal $124,000 in federal funds intended for homeless veterans in metro Atlanta, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Camelia Revels, 50, of Hiram, Georgia, who worked for the nonprofit HOPE Atlanta, is scheduled to be sentenced April 6. Katrise Jones, 47, a property agent from Lexington, South Carolina, is scheduled to be sentenced April 15.
“The defendants betrayed the trust of veterans who came to them for help,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine said in a written statement. “The victims are men and women who sacrificed for their country and deserve more than being taken advantage of for personal greed.”
Between 2013 and 2015, while working for HOPE Atlanta’s Supportive Service for Veterans program, Revels directed business for lodging homeless veterans and their families to companies owned and operated by Jones, according to the Northern District. Jones was not making rental payments for the veterans and was depositing the money in her business bank accounts, including one that she and Revels opened together.
Separately, Jones also stole Housing and Urban Development funds for homeless veterans from the Marietta Housing Authority, according to authorities. She received approximately $3,000 on behalf of several veterans for rental payments but never made the payments.
