PEMISCOT COUNTY WOMAN GUILTY OF FALSE STATEMENTS IN HUD SCAM

A Pemiscot County, Mo., pled guilty Tuesday to one felony count of making false statements to a government agency.

Laverne Moore, 43, of Hayti, Mo., plead guilty to the charge Tuesday in federal court in Cape Girardeau.

She appeared before U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel.

Moore admitted that she created false government documents and overcharged for rent to tenants living in Section 8 housing.

Between January 1998 and June 1999 Moore was employed by Lockwood Realty of St. Louis as a site manager for Kennett Apartments in Kennett, Mo

The apartments were being used as Section 8 housing by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

As a management agent and owner's representative, Lockwood contracted with the government to rent subsidized apartments to eligible tenants in Kennett.

Moore created Lockwood Realty and federally funded housing documents to show contract amounts, rent payments and the name of tenants.

She also collected rent checks and deposited them in an account as part of her job.

She admitted, with her plea, that she overcharged tenants for their portion of the rent and made false entries on federally funded housing reports.

More than $10,000 had been stolen from the tenants, according to documents.

Moore faces five years in prison and/or a fine up to $250,000.