A Boston Globe Spotlight investigation reports that a senior MassHousing official helped steer a large share of a short‑lived grant program to two developers who had recently sold him a house, and that many of the supposedly rehabbed units are still in rough shape. Tenants and local officials told reporters that promised repairs were left unfinished, while several subcontractors said they never performed work that invoices attributed to their companies. In response, MassHousing says it has paused the Gateway Housing Rehabilitation Program while it reviews the awards and will bring in an outside firm to audit what happened.
According to records reviewed by reporters, Tony Richards II, MassHousing’s vice president of strategic community investments, bought a West Roxbury house from developers Gary Acquah and Reggie Woods in late 2022 and did not file a written disclosure about the deal at the time. Emails cited by the Spotlight team suggest Richards and the developers were in touch as Gateway grants were being lined up, and MassHousing has since shifted oversight of those awards to its legal office. These developments were detailed by The Boston Globe.
How the Gateway program was supposed to work
The Gateway Housing Rehabilitation Program was created to fix up blighted 1–4 unit properties in Gateway Cities and similar communities, with funding targeted at emerging developers and small landlords. In its first round, the program totaled roughly $2.3 million in awards and was meant to preserve affordable housing with 15‑year affordability restrictions on assisted units. The program description and guidelines are outlined by MassHousing.
Shoddy renovations and suspect invoices
Spotlight reporting found that of roughly 13 units connected to the Acquah–Woods awards, many still have code issues and sloppy repairs, with inspectors flagging unsafe stairways, tilted floors and other lingering hazards. The Globe documented nearly $580,000 in invoices attributed to subcontractors who later denied doing the work, while the developers collected at least $139,000 in fees and flipped several properties. MassHousing told reporters it “takes allegations of potential fraud and noncompliance seriously” and would investigate, as reported by The Boston Globe.
Powerful backers and local ties
Just days after the West Roxbury house sale, one of the developers, Gary Acquah, received a gubernatorial appointment to the board of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corp., a notable perch in the affordable‑housing ecosystem that highlights how quickly the pair gained institutional access. CEDAC’s materials list Acquah as a board member and describe the organization’s role in financing affordable projects. The appointment and related details are outlined by CEDAC.
Legal and ethics questions
Under Massachusetts conflict‑of‑interest law (G.L. c. 268A), state employees are required to disclose financial interests and step aside from matters that could substantially affect those interests, obligations that ethics experts say are directly relevant here. The State Ethics Commission enforces the statute and can seek remedies including restitution and other sanctions when it finds violations. If auditors or investigators conclude that invoices were knowingly falsified, those findings could also trigger civil or criminal inquiries under existing law. The statute and related guidance are set out in G.L. c. 268A.
MassHousing has temporarily moved oversight of Gateway awards to its legal team and says an external review is on the way. Tenants and municipal officials are pressing the agency for specifics and, in some instances, restitution. The Globe Spotlight reporting has already led to the pause and the promised audit, and advocates argue it should spur broader changes in how small grant programs vet grantees and confirm work on the ground. We will continue to follow the audit, any ethics reviews and potential law‑enforcement actions as they unfold.
