A Washington D.C. man has owned up to deceitfully pocketing over $30,000 meant for renters struggling during the pandemic, federal prosecutors divulged. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, 54-year-old Ronald Allen Jr. submitted a guilty plea to charges of first-degree theft and making false statements in connection with scamming the Stronger Together by Assisting You (STAY DC) program, a lifeline for tenants hammered by Covid-19's financial fallout.
Allen, who fessed up during a plea hearing, admitted to fabricating stories about his financial situation, having said he was income-less in 2020 and 2021 and claimed the pandemic put a halt to his employment when, in reality, he had stable earnings from various sources through those years, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported. His web of lies led the D.C. government to issue him two checks combining to a whopping $31,044, funds he pledged for overdue rent and utilities but instead lavished on high-end purchases, trips, and fine dining.
The court wrangle will move to a crescendo on May 3 when Allen is set for sentencing, following his admission which also pins him to reimburse the full amount he pilfered from the aid program. The Honorable Judge Jason Park presided over the hearing, nodding to Allen's admission of guilt and conspiring to the next legal act of this drama, the sentencing stage.
In unveiling the plea, both U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas extended their praise for the investigative force that unraveled Allen's deception, crediting the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General with the discovery. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Micah Bluming took the reins on prosecution, specializing in tackling the mortar of fraud and public corruption, just as the city finds its balance after the tremors of a global health catastrophe shook its foundation.
