Philadelphia, September 24, 2009 – City of Philadelphia Inspector General, Amy L. Kurland, United States Attorney Michael L. Levy and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge, Janice Fedarcyk announced that former City employee Brenda Wilkins pled guilty to violations of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a) (Theft of Federal Program Funds) and 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(1) (Witness Tampering).
Wilkins abused her position as a Real Estate Specialist for the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC) by stealing a City-owned property. OIG and FBI investigators determined that PHDC paid $23,000 to purchase a property located at 5437 Marsden Street, in Philadelphia, PA., paid for additional renovations and then listed the property for sale to eligible home buyers at the purchase price of $40,000.
Wilkins had access to PHDC vacant properties through her City job. She gave her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend a list of those properties and allowed them to choose a house for themselves. They chose 5437 Marsden Street and lived there at no expense until July 2005, when Wilkins falsified documents so the house could be be sold to them for only $1.00.
Inspector General Kurland credited the success of this investigation to the diligent work of the OIG and FBI investigators who are dedicated to rooting out corruption and fraud in the City of
“Wilkins’s crime is especially egregious because PHDC’s mission is to provide housing to Philadelphia’s low- and moderate-income households,” said Inspector General Kurland. “In addition to the fraud on the public, honest, hardworking City employees are tainted by the perception that City employees are corrupt.”
Wilkins faces a maximum sentence of 45 years imprisonment, $500,000 in fines and $52,721 in restitution to the City of Philadelphia. Additionally, the OIG will take steps with the Board of Pensions to forfeit Wilkins City pension.
