A 71-year-old from the District of Columbia has been handed a 15-month prison sentence for conning a taxpayer-funded housing assistance program and illegal firearm possession. Geary Simon, who also went by "Robert Sutton," was sentenced after having pled guilty to wire fraud and firearm charges on Nov. 18, 2024; this is according to an announcement made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The STAY DC program, designed to aid tenants in the nation's capital during the Covid pandemic, became Simon's target as he cunningly extracted over $38,500 under false pretenses, and although the District allocated a formidable $352 million in federal relief funds, Simon's deceit created a dent in the intended dispersal. The fraudulent claim filed on June 22, 2021, positioned Simon as a tenant in arrears to a fictitious landlord, owing a whopping $72,000 in back rent, but in truth, Simon never resided at the listed 2433 H Street, NW, nor was "Robert Sutton" his landlord or the rightful claimant to such a debt, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Upon the DC Department of Human Services' processing and approval of his application, they issued a check to Simon, who later deposited it into an account under "The Geary Stephen Simon 2016 Irrevocable Trust." He then misdirected these funds, which were intended for rent and utilities relief, to settle private school tuition and child support—the latter being a court-imposed mandate, as detailed in the official statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
A March 2024 law enforcement raid at his residence led to the recovery of two firearms, and, given Simon's past marred with felonies, including a conviction for carrying a pistol without a license his possession of these weapons was not just troubling but criminally forbidden under the federal law. Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Borchert is prosecuting the case which was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, their efforts culminating in a sentence also meting out three years of supervised release and restitution payments amounting to $38,560 to the D.C. government, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
