PHILADELPHIA, PA — Three men were sentenced this week for their roles in bribery and fraud schemes that siphoned funds from the Chester Housing Authority (CHA), a body dedicated to providing affordable housing.
Norman D. Wise, 58, of Mullica Hill, NJ, once the Director of Public Housing for CHA, received a sentence of 37 months in prison on Monday after admitting to theft and wire fraud charges. His chief assistant and Housing Program Manager, Douglas E. Daniel, 65, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 13 months and one day in prison on Tuesday for similar offenses.
Leonard F. Coleman, 54, of Paulsboro, NJ, accused of bribing Wise and Daniel to secure contracting work, was sentenced to one week in prison and three years of supervised release.
The defendants were implicated in two main illicit activities: a bribery operation where Coleman paid Wise and Daniel for CHA contracts, and a fraudulent contracting company set up by Wise and Daniel to bill CHA for non-existent services, extracting hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“These individuals enriched themselves at the cost of an agency struggling with limited resources to provide essential housing services,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. She emphasized the betrayal of public trust and the commitment of her office to uncover and prosecute such corruption.
Echoing Romero’s sentiments, Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI and Vicky Vazquez of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Inspector General Office vowed relentless pursuit of those exploiting public systems for personal gain.
This case not only sheds light on the vulnerabilities in public systems but also signals a strong stance against corruption by law enforcement agencies.
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