Amarillo employee pleads guilty to embezzling $465,000 from homeless shelter funds | Texas

According to plea papers, in September 2020, Dixon used a relative’s personally identifiable information to create a fictitious landlord, for whom she created fraudulent payment voucher packages. She instructed Amarillo’s Finance Department to call her when the payment vouchers were ready, then signed the relative’s name on the checks and deposited the funds into her personal bank account. In April 2021, when HUD announced that it would accept inspections completed by outside companies, she began to process payments for fictitious properties.

In total, Dixon created 223 fraudulent payment vouchers resulting in 66 checks written to fictitious landlords, with a total loss amount of $465,511.65. She now faces up to five years in federal prison.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office – Amarillo Resident Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development – Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto is prosecuting the case.