HOUSTON – A Houston man is facing serious jail time for exploiting federal funds meant for Hurricane Harvey victims.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas, Christopher Montealegre, 45, pleaded guilty to applying for and receiving a newly built home worth $314,000.
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Prosecutors say the federally approved funds were approved to help support communities working to recover after Harvey through a program by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Montealegre’s actions were described by investigators as “disturbing,” especially when some residents still haven’t fully recovered from the devastating storm.
“Christopher Montealegre exploited a program intended to assist vulnerable victims of Hurricane Harvey and used those funds for his own personal enrichment,” U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a statement. “Public resources for disaster relief should go to the victims that actually need them, not to enrich private actors like Montealegre.”
“Montealegre’s alleged conduct is disturbing, especially during this time when the public is reminded of the devastation that historic storms leave with thousands of victims,” added Special Agent in Charge Bertrand Nelson for HUD’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), Southcentral Region. “The taxpayer has no tolerance for those who steal from Federal public aid – the sole goal of which is to help victims rebuild and move forward with their lives. We will continue to work with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to aggressively pursue fraudsters who steal disaster grant funds to enrich themselves.”
The 45-year-old is now facing up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible fine of up to $250,000. He is expected to be sentenced on August 8 but is permitted to remain on bond until his next court date.