Guam Attorney General Charges Housing Officials with LIHTC Conspiracy

The Chief Prosecutor of the Attorney General’s office in Guam recently filed charges of official misconduct and conspiracy against former board members and the current executive director of Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority (GHURA). The charges stem from federal investigations into GHURA’s awarding of Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Guam is an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States, and Guamanians are American citizens by birth.

According to a declaration filed by the Attorney General’s office, there were secret board meetings or “working sessions” to come to a consensus on how they would vote on issues regarding various things like bidders, bidders’ disqualification, and LIHTC awards.

In 2012, a GHURA executive director issued a press release calling into question the board’s handling of the Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Later that year, the FBI contacted the executive director’s replacement and asked him questions concerning the awarding of these Low Income Housing Tax Credits. The inquiries eventually resulted in an FBI raid of GHURA offices in June 2016.