The executive director of the Greenville Housing Authority is on paid leave after being charged with a number of crimes that allegedly took place while working in DeKalb County, Georgia.
Shawn Williams, 60, has served in the Greenville position since 2020. Previously, she was executive director of the Assisted Housing Division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, where she managed more than $300 million in federal funds and state and a staff of 148 employees, the Greenville Housing Authority said when announcing his hire.
This week, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced that Williams and three others have been charged “in connection with an alleged scheme to steal money from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs by through fraudulent contracts”.
The other defendants were Corey Alston, 45, Toyao Andrews, 49, and Quinton Tate, 41.
Charges include violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), conspiracy to defraud the state, misrepresentation/concealment, theft by deception, three counts theft by taking, six counts theft by receiving and six counts of corruption.
The charges allege that Williams and Andrews approved a contract for cleaning services with a company owned by Andrews. From 2017 to 2019, the Georgian agency paid the cleaning company $64,000 despite the cleaning services provided by the building owner.
Additionally, $120,000 was paid for the development of an online tool in 2018 that was never implemented.
“The former state employees named in this indictment were supposed to help low-income Georgians find safe and affordable housing. Instead, they would have used their positions to enrich themselves,” Boston said. “Anyone who violates the public trust and appropriates taxpayers’ money will be held accountable and brought to justice.”
Williams is from Pittsburgh and has worked at housing agencies there and in Woodbridge and Richmond in Virginia and in Charlotte.
Board Chairman Pete Byford could not be reached for comment.
He told WYFF that the Greenville Housing Authority was conducting an internal review and was cooperating with Georgia authorities.
The agency’s chief financial officer, Beth Clark, has been named interim CEO.
“We want to assure our community that the Greenville Housing Authority remains committed to transparency and accountability,” Byford told the broadcaster.