NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A Montgomery County property manager is accused of stealing more than $160,000 of COVID-19 relief money that was meant to help people avoid eviction and utility shutoff during the pandemic.
Tina Yorgey, 53, is facing several felony theft and fraud charges. According to prosecutors in the the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, Yorgey used her property management company, East Moore Properties, to forge tax forms, lease agreements, notary and power of attorney documents, and rental applications to illegally collect $162,680 in Emergency Rental and Utility Coalition funds.
Montgomery County used a handful of agencies to redistribute funding from a federal program aimed at easing the burden on landlords when tenants couldn’t make rent because of COVID-related financial problems. To get money out more quickly, landlords were to self-certify.
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Investigators say Your Way Home, a nonprofit fighting homelessness in Montgomery County, alerted them to the potential fraud. Prosecutors say Yorgey transferred money to her personal accounts and used those funds to renovate her home, go out to dinner and make other purchases for her own personal use.
As of July 2022, the county has directed more than $65 million in federal assistance to 6,161 households.