Some 20 Rent Assistance Program applicants were added to the more than 100 homeowners, merchants, farmers and fishermen who allegedly committed fraud after receiving assistance with federal funds from the Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery, Housing Secretary Ciary Perez Pena revealed Tuesday.

“Yes, we have cases. Several referrals are already being made. We’re going to start with (the) COVID Renta (Rental Assistance) program. Referrals are going to be made, over the next few weeks, to federal agencies, because we have discovered participants who, at one point, applied as renters and, now, are applying as landlords. So, obviously, the system does not allow them to continue with their new application, but it does raise the flag of fraud, and all those cases will be referred to the pertinent agencies at the federal level," Pérez Peña warned during the bi-weekly “En Récord” session at La Fortaleza.

Following the session, a spokeswoman for the Department of Housing indicated to El Nuevo Día that, in the specific case of COVID Renta, the alleged cases of fraud are “approximately 20”.

Meanwhile, Pérez Peña said that Vivienda also identified cases in which “families who were given money and had their properties repaired, sold them before the five-year term that they had to reside in those properties had expired”.

The secretary’s expressions join those she gave, last July 22, when she reported that it was identified that more than 100 people may have committed fraud with federal funds.

He specified, at the time, that these were families whose homes were repaired with federal money, and merchants and farmers who benefited from the purchase of equipment also with funds provided by the Federal Housing Department (HUD).

In fact, the matter was discussed with HUD as to how to proceed, particularly with the equipment purchased and recovered.

“We are obviously waiting for how we are going to dispose of this type of equipment, which I understand, in my best judgment as secretary, could be disposed of in the form of a sale, and the money returned to the same portfolio in which the federal program was used,” she said.

Housing has not yet received an official response from HUD.

Regarding the COVID Renta program -which provides assistance to cover rent, water and electricity arrears-, Pérez Peña informed that, given the avalanche received after its recent reopening, it was decided to close the application period tomorrow, Wednesday, September 17, and not on September 30, as initially announced.

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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.