'Operation Double Dip' Uncovers $300K in Housing Fraud in Florida

Twelve people (including 11 residents and one site owner) were charged with defrauding HUD and the Miami-Dade Housing Agency (MDHA) of more than $300,000 in rental assistance funds. They have been indicted on charges that include public assistance fraud, organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, identity theft, and conspiracy.

Known as “Operation Double-Dip,” this aggressive fraud and abuse investigation was conducted by the Office of the Inspector General's special agents in cooperation with state agencies.

One resident was accused of concealing her employment income from a hospital job and her ownership of a single-family home so that she could continue to qualify for housing assistance from MDHA. In addition to rental assistance, she also received $49,220 in HUD “HOME” funds, and she sublet her public housing unit to several people from whom she unlawfully collected rent payments.

Another resident, at a private development funded by HUD HOME funds and low-income housing tax credits, fraudulently used a child's Social Security number and concealed employment income from her job as a public school teacher to qualify for continued housing assistance.