Atlanta Housing Authority VP Charged with Fraud

Atlanta, GA, December 24, 2025

News Summary

Tracy Denise Jones, a senior vice president at the Atlanta Housing Authority, faces charges including conspiracy to commit theft of government funds. She allegedly fraudulently collected over $36,000 in Section 8 housing assistance payments using a false identity and shell business. The investigation revealed attempts to obstruct federal inquiries and additional allegations of fraud related to pandemic relief programs and mortgage misrepresentations. Following these charges, a new interim vice president has been appointed.

Atlanta – Tracy Denise Jones, a 61-year-old senior vice president at the Atlanta Housing Authority, has been charged with conspiracy to commit theft of government funds, wire fraud, and credit application fraud. Jones was arraigned on December 19, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge John K. Larkins III. She has served since April 2017 overseeing the Housing Choice Voucher Program, one of the largest Section 8 housing programs in the nation.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program, part of the Section 8 initiative, provides rental assistance payments to landlords for low-income individuals and families. However, housing authority employees are prohibited from receiving Section 8 benefits for properties they own, and landlords are typically barred from leasing to family members.

Federal prosecutors allege that Jones used a false identity and a shell business entity to fraudulently collect more than $36,000 in Section 8 housing assistance payments for family members residing in her rental property. The investigation indicates that she submitted falsified documents to admit her relatives into the Section 8 program, allowing her to collect federal housing funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

When an investigation was initiated, Jones allegedly attempted to obstruct the process by submitting a false affidavit and persuading friends to provide misleading information and documents. Aside from her housing fraud charges, Jones is also accused of fraudulently obtaining over $27,000 from U.S. Small Business Administration COVID-19 pandemic relief programs. She falsely claimed her business was operational, had multiple employees, and generated over $56,000 in gross revenue in 2019.

Following a denial of one relief application, Jones allegedly appealed, asserting she was an honest business owner while downplaying stories of abuse related to Paycheck Protection Program loans. Furthermore, she faces allegations of mortgage fraud, having falsely stated that a rental property was her primary residence while refinancing it for a loan of $219,780 and claiming she did not own other properties.

U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg stated that Jones exploited her position to line her own pockets instead of serving the community’s neediest members. The investigation into Jones was part of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, created in 2021 to combat pandemic-related fraud. The case is being investigated by the HUD Office of Inspector General, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett L. Bradford.

As a result of the charges against her, Atlanta Housing has appointed Shannon Linsey as the interim senior vice president of the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Under the legal system, Jones remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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Additional Resources

• USA Today
• Wikipedia: Housing Choice Voucher Program
• CBS News
• Google Search: Atlanta Housing Authority fraud
• Fox 5 Atlanta
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Fraud
• WSB TV
• Google News: Tracy Denise Jones Atlanta Housing Authority
• Atlanta News First
• Google Scholar: Housing fraud
• Law360

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