Feds element alleged luxurious spending in THA fraud case

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In half, the suspect used the cash to have ‘a celeb chef cater her non-public Christmas occasion,’ prosecutors say.

The girl now going through dozens of federal prices for a two-year, almost $400,000 scheme that defrauded the Tallahassee Housing Authority did it to fund her “luxurious lifestyle,” investigators mentioned.

That included footwear, purses, equipment and jewellery from main design homes like Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Dolce & Gabbana, Coach and extra, based on the indictment.

Lekishaann Huggins, 45, was indicted by a federal grand jury on 39 counts various from financial institution fraud, id theft, cash laundering and false tax filings, U.S. Attorney Jack Heekin of the Northern District of Florida introduced in a July 30 press launch.

More: Tallahassee Housing Authority fraud case tops $378,000, feds say

Huggins managed of THA’s Housing Choice Voucher Program — also called Section 8 — which helps low-income households, older adults and other people with disabilities afford non-public housing by funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The indictment says her position gave her entry to tenant and landlord information, in addition to housing help funds, which supplied her the “unique ability as a ‘super user’ ” to vary these information.

“Specifically, Huggins had the ability to conduct ‘owner change transactions’ in THA’s (systems), whereby she could change bank account information for landlords,” the indictment says.

Huggins additionally owns an organization that sells garments on-line referred to as Cache Kloset LLC, which was related in title to a landlord firm related to THA referred to as Cache LLC.

Prosecutors say that Huggins “fraudulently changed” Cache LLC’s financial institution routing and account numbers to her private Wells Fargo checking account hooked up to her enterprise, Cache Kloset LLC, to redirect funds to herself, based on the indictment.

“Huggins ultimately spent the fraudulently obtained funds to sustain her luxurious lifestyle, which included taking vacations, buying luxury apparel and jewelry, and having a celebrity chef cater her private Christmas party …” the indictment says, with out naming the chef. “As a result of her scheme to defraud, Huggins received over $378,000 in fraudulently obtained HUD and THA funds ….”

Court information present Huggins redirected funds to her enterprise’ checking account between July 2023 and December 2024. Investigators discovered she carried out transfers anyplace from as soon as to seven occasions a month, with quantities starting from roughly $1,500 to $29,000. One debit card transaction confirmed a $13,738.50 buy from Gucci, as an example.

Huggins, who was suspended from her THA position in January 2025, made her preliminary look and was arraigned earlier than U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee. Her trial is scheduled to start Sept. 8, earlier than Chief U.S. District Judge Allen C. Winsor. Huggins is represented by the Federal Public Defender’s Office.

If convicted, Huggins faces as much as 30 years in jail on every financial institution fraud rely, a compulsory consecutive two-year sentence on the aggravated id theft cost, as much as 10 years on every cash laundering rely and as much as three years on every rely of submitting a false tax return, the discharge mentioned. She additionally could possibly be ordered to pay restitution and forfeit belongings.

The case is the second federal investigation into reasonably priced housing issues in Tallahassee.

In May, HUD launched an audit after issues had been raised over the metropolis’s dealing with of a $4.4 million HUD grant that was for the alternative of lead paint contaminated doorways for low-income households.

Portions of this story had been beforehand revealed. Elena Barrera could be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.