JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After an investigation into fraudulent applications for mortgage, rental, and utility assistance was done by The City of Jacksonville, two people have been charged as a result of the inquiry.
An investigation into potentially fraudulent applications for the Mortgage, Rental, and Utility Assistance (MRU) program was opened by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) in the year 2022.
The MRU program is made possible by a grant from the Cares Act that was awarded to the City of Jacksonville by the United States Department of the Treasury. When applying for the grant monies, numerous individuals are said to have provided investigators with false information, as uncovered by the authorities.
As a direct consequence of this, the State Attorney’s Office was provided with the cases, and in the year 2023, the first arrests were made.
- On April 22, Jamie Harris was taken into custody for committing fraud related to public assistance.
- On May 4, Ivan Kocak was taken into custody for fraud involving public aid.
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and the State Attorney’s Office (SAO) are collaborating closely to get additional MRU fraud cases ready for prosecution.
