A 44-year-old DeLand man is facing up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing thousands of dollars in Section 8 government rental assistance while he was acting as property manager of a local apartment complex.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced on Thursday that Oliver Barrington King has pled guilty to theft of government funds and has agreed to forfeit $16,618.91 that he obtained as a result of the offense.
According to a plea agreement, King was the property manager for an apartment complex that received Section 8 project-based rental assistance funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As property manager, King had access to the HUD funding that was coming into the organization.
During their investigation, authorities determined that King had misappropriated the government funds received for the program in order to “fund his own unjust enrichment,” according to court records.
King faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.