LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Sixteen people are facing charges for their alleged role in a COVID-19 pandemic scheme.
According to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office, the defendants allegedly conspired with a former employee, Brandice Reyes-Alvarez at Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities (LCHRA) to submit fraudulent applications for rental assistance.
LCHRA is a public authority designed to accept and process Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) applications, according to the Lancaster DA's Office.
“These funds were provided by our government for the purpose of assisting the many people who suffered financial hardship as a result of the pandemic,” Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams said. “Here, more than $280,000 was stolen by these defendants when others were truly in need.”
The defendants each face a lead charge of theft by deception, a third-degree felony. Charges of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, conspiracy, identity theft, receiving stolen property, tampering with records or identification, theft by unlawful taking, and forgery have been filed in certain cases.
The investigation into the fraudulent applications began in June 2022 when a member of LCHRA contacted OSIG after uncovering several suspicious applications within ERAP.
The discovery reportedly occurred when internal procedures flagged program payments to an employee. That application allegedly revealed inconsistent information and a phone number not associated with the landlord listed.
This phone number was then identified on several other fraudulent applications.
The investigation revealed that 16 people submitted fraudulent assistance applications containing false information that was supported by forged documents such as leases, statements of past due rent and other fraudulent documents.
The scheme involved providing a false phone number and landlord information on the assistance application, including a landlord who had passed away in 2018, according to the Lancaster County DA's Office.
LCHRA staff would call the number provided on the application and receive verification from the person pretending to be a landlord that they did not want to participate in the program.
As a result, the funds would be provided directly to the tenant.
Checks were issued and sent directly to the applicant or e-deposited into bank accounts and, in several cases, investigators found that a portion of the proceeds was sent back to Reyes-Alvarez and other codefendants assisting in the scheme.
The money was claimed and received from June 2021 until August 2022 and losses total approximately $281,004.
After the discovery, the LCHRA immediately put steps into place to make sure additional fraud was flagged and no longer accepts electronic applications.
The 16 charged suspects with the amount of funds each allegedly received or conspired to receive is as follows:
- Dustin Branch, 34, from Lancaster - $19,500.00
- Alyssa Cruz, 24, from Manheim - $18,525.00
- Danari Garcia, 27, from Leola - $19,240.00
- Danaziah Garcia, 24, from Columbia - $20,300.00
- Eladio Hernandez-Matos, 23, from Lancaster - $19,175.00
- Tatiana Hernandez-Matos, 25, from Lititz - $20,000.00
- Amanda Martin, 33, from Lancaster - $22,500.00
- Kleisy Montas-Rivera, 28, from Lancaster - $16,800.00
- Matthew Nelson, 36, from Leola - $17,100.00
- Marisol Reed, 46, from Lancaster - $21,700.00
- Brandice Reyes-Alvarez, 40, from Leola - $7,730.00
- Briana Robles, 29, from Lancaster - $20,625.00
- Leonard Streeter, 35, from Leola - $19,939.00
- Adeline White, 37, from Lancaster - $161,455.00
- William White III, 37, from Lancaster - $18,850.00
- William White Jr., 63, from Lancaster - $19,250.00
Danari Garcia, Eladio Hernandez-Matos, Matthew Nelson, Brandice Reyes-Alvarez, Adeline White, and William White III have been arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Adam Witkonis, who set bail at $25,000 unsecured.
Dustin Branch, Alyssa Cruz, Danaziah Garcia, Tatiana Hernandez-Matos, Marisol Reed, and Briana Robles have been arrested and are awaiting arraignment.
Amanda Martin, Kleisy Montas-Rivera, Leonard Streeter, and William White Jr. are scheduled to be arraigned next week.
