Former DC housing official pleads guilty to mortgage fraud

A former employee of the District of Columbia Housing Authority who later became a real estate developer has pleaded guilty to federal charges — stemming from a yearslong scheme to secure millions of dollars in financing from private mortgage lenders.

The announcement was made by the office of Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.

Richard Cunningham, 55, of the District of Columbia, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to making false statements to a Scheme specifics

According to the In one phase of the scheme, Cunningham is said to have applied for six Fabricated veterans housing program cited

Authorities said Cunningham later sought additional renovation financing from an Oregon-based private mortgage company for two other properties.

To support these applications, prosecutors said Cunningham created fraudulent lease documents that purported to be associated with a federal housing assistance program for veterans administered by the Prosecutors said he then added forged information and signatures to create the appearance that veterans were already residing at the properties under a federal voucher program.

Authorities also said Cunningham submitted fabricated rent rolls, which falsely indicated that all tenants received housing vouchers through the This article was written by Jonathan Delozier and generated with the assistance of HousingWire Automation. It was reviewed by a HousingWire editor before publication.