A man from Moberly, Missouri, has been indicted on charges of fraudulently obtaining $284,000 intended for rental assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Steven W. Hendren, 32, faces three counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft following an indictment by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
The indictment alleges that Hendren submitted fraudulent applications to the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) starting in March 2021. These applications falsely listed him as a landlord and included fictitious lease agreements and financial statements with inflated rent amounts. According to the indictment, the MHDC wired a total of $284,840.44 to Hendren's account, which he allegedly used for personal expenses such as purchasing a 2020 GMC Yukon.
It is important to note that charges in an indictment are accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The FBI conducted the investigation into this case, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is handling the prosecution.
Individuals with information regarding pandemic-related fraud are encouraged to contact the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or report through their web complaint form.