Greenville Housing Authority CEO indicted in Georgia RICO case, placed on paid leave
The Greenville Housing Authority (TGHA) recently placed its CEO, Shawn Williams, and two additional employees on paid leave.
The Dekalb County Grand Jury indicted Williams for infringement of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, along with Bribery, Conspiracy to Defraud the State, Theft by Taking, Theft by Receiving Stolen Property and Theft by Deception.
The alleged violations took place between 2017 and 2019 when Williams acted as an executive director of the Housing Assistance Division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), according to the indictment.
An investigation from the Georgia Office of the Inspector General found Williams approved a contract for cleaning services through a company owned by one of the defendants. Although the office had preexisting cleaning services from the landlord, DCA paid more than $64,000 to the company.
In 2019, the DCA lost an additional $120,000 after paying for a non-existent web product after Williams told the DCA the product was completed and being used.
The two additional, current GHA employees that were placed on paid leave were named in the indictment but were not charged.
The Greenville Housing Authority is conducting its own internal investigation.
“The Housing Authority’s Board met Wednesday morning (July 5) to discuss and take action in this matter,” said Board Chair Pete Byford in a press release. “We take these allegations seriously and will be conducting our own internal reviews.”
TGHA works to provide affordable housing in Greenville and operates independently from the city of Greenville and Greenville Housing Fund. TGHA’s Director of Finance, Beth Clark, has been named interim CEO.
“We want to assure our community that the Greenville Housing Authority remains committed to transparency and accountability,” Byford said.
Savannah Moss covers Greenville County politics and growth & development. Reach her via email at smoss@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville Housing Authority CEO indicted in Georgia RICO case
