Federal prosecutors have indicted 45-year-old Lekishaann Huggins on 39 counts for allegedly running a $378,000 fraud scheme within the Tallahassee Housing Authority.
U. S.
Attorney Jack Heekin of the Northern District of Florida announced the charges on July 30.
Huggins supervised the Housing Choice Voucher Program, commonly known as Section 8. This federal aid, funded by the U.
S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), helps low-income families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities secure private housing.
The charges include bank fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and submitting false tax returns, according to federal prosecutors.
The indictment alleges that Huggins withdrew some fraudulent proceeds in cash and transferred others between her bank accounts.
It also details how the misappropriated funds were spent on personal expenses.
“Huggins ultimately spent the fraudulently obtained funds to sustain her luxurious lifestyle, which included taking vacations, buying luxury apparel and jewelry, and having a celebrity chef cater her private Christmas party,” the indictment stated.
“As a result of her scheme to defraud, Huggins received over $378,000 in fraudulently obtained HUD and THA funds.”
If convicted on all counts, Huggins faces up to 30 years in prison for each bank fraud charge, a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft, up to 10 years per money laundering count, and up to three years for each false tax filing.
She also faces potential restitution and asset forfeiture.
Court Proceedings and Oversight
Huggins made her initial court appearance and was arraigned before U. S.
Magistrate Judge Martin Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee. Her trial is scheduled for Sept.
8 before Chief U. S.
District Judge Allen C. Winsor.
She is represented by the Federal Public Defender's Office.
The case was investigated by HUD's Office of Inspector General under the federal Task Force to Eliminate Fraud initiative.
The Tallahassee City Commission oversees the housing authority through its appointment process for the governing board.
The authority's website states that it is governed by a volunteer seven-person Board of Commissioners appointed by the City of Tallahassee Commission.
The board ensures the authority is fiscally responsible and operates efficiently through formal policy adoption.
The federal indictment comes weeks after a separate police investigation into the city's handling of a $4.4 million HUD grant found evidence of questionable actions but no criminal conduct.
HUD is currently demanding that the city reimburse $1.03 million from that program.
