Matthew Greer, 37, former CEO of Carlisle Development Group, Miami Beach, pled guilty before United States District Court Judge Ursula Ungaro to two counts of conspiracy to commit theft of government money, in connection with a scheme to steal government funds intended for the construction of low-income housing. Greer participated in a $30 million fraud scheme involving ten low-income housing developments
According to court documents, including the factual proffer in support of the defendant’s plea, Matthew Greer and Lloyd Boggio served, at alternating times, as CEO of Carlisle Development Group (CDG), a low-income housing developer in Miami, Florida. CDG applied for federal tax credits and federal grant monies to build low-income housing developments through a program administered by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC). To obtain these federal funds, FHFC required developers to submit proposed development costs, including a construction contract signed by the developer and contractor.
The court records further indicate that Greer and others through CDG, conspired to unjustly enrich themselves by submitting fraudulently inflated low-income housing construction contracts to FHFC’s representatives to obtain excess federal tax credits and grant monies to which they were not entitled, and then to use the proceeds for their personal use and benefit. From 2006 to 2012, Greer, and the other conspirators caused the submission of fraudulently inflated construction contracts on at least eight different low-income housing developments, which resulted in the allocation of at least $26 million in excess federal tax credits and grant monies. Similarly, during the course of the scheme, the conspirators made kickback payments for the benefit of Greer and others totaling at least $26 million.
Greer conspired with representatives of Biscayne Housing Group (BHG) to commit theft of government money and property. BHG employed the same contract inflation scheme of submitting fraudulently inflated contracts to FHFC for the receipt of excess federal tax credits and grant monies. CDG and BHG had a joint venture for two developments. In or around May 2010, Greer and his conspirators agreed to share approximately $3.7 million in excess government funds for these two joint venture developments.
Greer is scheduled to be sentenced on November 13, 2015. The United States has seized $9.3 million from Greer, who has agreed to entry of a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $16,004,137, the balance of which he is expected to pay prior to sentencing. Greer faces a maximum possible sentence of ten years in prison.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, Nadine Gurley, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement.
Mr. Ferrer thanked the FBI, HUD-OIG, and IRS-CI for their work on this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael R. Sherwin, Michael N. Berger, Evelyn Sheehan and Eloisa Fernandez.
