Former West Carthage Housing Authority director, mother, charged with corruption

Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
Updated ·2 min read

Mar. 13—WEST CARTHAGE — The former executive director of the West Carthage Housing Authority has been charged with stealing more than $48,000 from the agency and her mother is charged with helping her.

Jan M. Hoffman, 42, is charged with third-degree grand larceny, which was filed as a crime of public corruption, and second-degree corrupting the government, while her mother, Katherine A. Pais, age not available, is charged with fourth-degree corruption of government, according to state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The comptroller was joined in making an announcement of the arrests by Jefferson County District Attorney Kristyna S. Mills, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development's Office of the Inspector General and state police.

Hoffman served as the executive director of WCHA, a government-funded apartment complex for low-income senior citizens and people with disabilities, from 2016 to 2021. Pais, who was hired by the WCHA board, was the accounts payable bookkeeper from 2016 to 2020.

According to a statement from the comptroller, his office and the HUD inspectors, based on an anonymous tip, started an investigation of all monies controlled by Hoffman and found that she had allegedly been making personal purchases with housing authority funds since 2016, her entire tenure as executive director.

In total, Hoffman is accused of stealing more than $48,930 from WCHA by using the agency's financial accounts and credit lines to make unauthorized personal purchases. Additionally, Hoffman allegedly submitted more than $1,000 in false reimbursements.

The statement says that through her role as the accounts payable bookkeeper, Pais helped conceal Hoffman's theft. Pais was responsible for reviewing claims and preparing checks for payment. Pais allegedly not only knew about Hoffman's continuous theft and did not report it to the board, but prepared checks to pay Hoffman for her fraudulent reimbursements and to pay off Hoffman's personal purchases on the housing authority's accounts, and prepared payments that hid the thefts.

"Jan Hoffman and Katherine Pais allegedly took advantage of their positions and residents in need in a scheme that allowed Hoffman to steal over $48,000 in housing authority funds," DiNapoli said in the statement. "Thanks to the partnership between my office, Jefferson County District Attorney Kristyna S. Mills, the State Police, and the HUD OIG, they will be held accountable for their actions."

Hoffman was arraigned in Watertown City Court, Centralized Arraignment Part, before Judge Anthony M. Neddo and released on her own recognizance. Her felony case will be transferred to Jefferson County Court. Pais was issued an appearance ticket for Champion Town Court.