DALLAS — Kenneth Elliott, the former president of Metro Housing Partnership in Fort Worth, Texas, was sentenced Friday to 12 months and one day in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. Chief District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater also ordered that Elliott pay $51,038.81 in restitution. Elliott must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on April 29, 2008, to begin serving his sentence.
As president of Metro Housing Partnership, Elliott ran its day-to-day operations and was responsible for the disbursement of Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds that it received. Between April 1, 2002, and March 31, 2003, Metro Housing Partnership received more than $10,000 in federal grants from HUD. Elliott admitted that he stole nearly $43,000 from Metro Housing Partnership funds.
Elliott admitted that he used $8000 of the stolen funds to purchase, for his own personal use, among other things, a Bayliner boat.
U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay S. Weimer prosecuted the case.
