Federal authorities on Wednesday filed a criminal charge against Velma Sue Cochran of Floydada. Court records described her as the former executive director of the Floydada Housing Authority (FHA).
Court records said Cochran did, “… embezzle, steal, purloin, and without authority, convert to her own use and the use of another… the approximate amount of $23,923…”
The actual charge was misprision of a felony which is a fancy way of saying she concealed a crime. The crime she was accused of concealing was “theft of public money.”
The court records said Cochran did this between November 1, 2013 through June 3, 2014.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in April of 2015 issued a memorandum which said the FHA, “allowed a conflict-of-interest by hiring the board chairman’s daughter as its director.”
The 2015 memo also said, “Further, the [FHA] Authority’s board failed to provide oversight and prevent mismanagement.”
The Floydada Housing Authority declined a chance to comment.
