June 23, 2004
TRENTON — Eight residents of the Princeton Housing Authority have
been charged by the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office with cheating the federal
government out of more than $143,000 in subsidized housing, Prosecutor Joseph L.
Bocchini Jr. announced.
According
to Prosecutor Bocchini, his office was contacted by Special Agent Damian Salvati
of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a few
months ago. An investigation
conducted by HUD revealed that eight illegal immigrants and their families were
living in federally subsidized housing in Princeton Borough and Princeton
Township. The investigation also
revealed that the individuals lied about their immigration status and presented
fraudulent Social Security cards in order to obtain housing.
The
public housing is managed by the Princeton Housing Authority and completely
subsidized by the federal government. In
order to obtain public housing, an individual must be a United States citizen or
have eligible immigration status and meet total household income requirements.
Tenants need to re-certify on an annual basis and any changes in income
must be reported within 30 days.
On
June 11, 2004, a Mercer County grand jury returned indictments charging each of
the following individuals with one count of third-degree theft by deception:
¨
Javier Queij
(DOB 4/3/68) and Graciela Queij (DOB 5/31/70) of Karin Court, Princeton
Township;
¨
Ricardo Chavez AKA Huri
Eliu Marroquin
(DOB 5/10/65) and Yolanda Cano (DOB 8/26/67) of Karin Court, Princeton Township;
¨
Carmen Pivaral
(DOB 6/21/66) of Clay Street, Princeton Borough;
¨
Ignacia Guzman
(DOB 7/31/65) of Clay Street, Princeton Borough; and
¨
Florencio Cortez-Marquez
(DOB 4/20/72) and Mayoli Jimenez (DOB 8/23/80) of Nottingham Way,
Hamilton Township.
Bocchini
stated the indictments were sealed until the defendants were taken into custody
last night and this morning.
“We
did not want to give the defendants the opportunity to relocate and enter back
into the system under new names and Social Security numbers,” he said.
The
amount of the alleged thefts, totaling $143,400, was obtained by determining the
fair market value of the apartments minus the rent paid by the tenants.
“We
have the responsibility to uphold the rights of the tax paying community and to
ensure that those residing in subsidized housing are entitled to it by virtue of
their citizenship and lower income,” Bocchini said.
There
are 323 families on the waiting list for the Princeton Housing Authority’s 250
residences. Applications are not
being accepted until January 2005 due to the high demand.
Information
concerning the investigation has been forwarded to the Bureau of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement. Tenants will
be subject to eviction by the Princeton Housing Authority.
Assistant
Prosecutor Doris Galuchie, chief of the prosecutor’s Economic Crime Unit,
presented the case to the grand jury. The
arrests were made by members of the prosecutor’s office, HUD, the county
Sheriff’s Office, and the Princeton Borough, Princeton Township, Hamilton and
West Windsor police departments.
Despite having been indicted, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.