A former D.C. nonprofit housing executive, who once preached to the needy, will now preach from behind bars after being sentenced to 18 months for embezzling funds from an affordable housing complex. Rowena Joyce Scott, 71, of Washington D.C., was convicted of wire fraud, credit card fraud, and filing false tax returns - the Justice Department announced.
Scott, a minister and former head of the Ward 8 Democrats, was at the helm of the Park Southern Neighborhood Corporation (PSNC) from January 2010 to May 2014, Scott, during that time, swiped at least $125,000 from the nonprofit's kitty while also dipping into nearly $30,000 for unauthorized personal splurges while she collected a hefty $260,000 "salary", living in the building rent-free and even using the property's common rooms for her ministry without a dime spent, according to the evidence presented by the government during the trial.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Wilkins slapped Scott with 24 months of supervised release and a hefty tab for restitution: Scott must cough up more than $150,000 to PSNC and nearly $50,000 to the IRS - not to forget a similar amount in a criminal money judgment forfeiture, the cost of a betrayal most foul against those she once vowed to lift up.
Under her administration, Scott failed to complete essential renovations for disability access in accordance with the Americans-with- Disabilities-Act and also dodged loan payments to the District which all came crashing down as the IRS Criminal Investigation, DC Office of Tax and Revenue, and several US Attorneys unraveled her web of deceit, now Scott will have roughly one and a half years to contemplate the damage done to those she was supposed to serve and protect.
