United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced Monday that three family members of the former executive director of the St. Clair Housing Commission, Lorena Loren, were sentenced to federal prison after having pleaded guilty to various federal offenses due to their involvement in Loren’s fraudulent scheme to steal money from the Section 8 program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Lorena Loren, who died in March 2022, had previously pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 37 months, having stolen approximately $336,000 in federal funds, including money earmarked for HUD’s Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher program, which allows low-income families to lease privately owned rental properties with the assistance of HUD rental subsidies.
On January 30, 2023, the following three family members were sentenced before the Honorable Mark A. Goldsmith. Brian Loren (Lorena Loren’s husband), age 61, was sentenced to 9 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit federal program fraud of approximately $73,000. Ryan and Kayla Loren (Lorena Loren’s son and his wife), were both sentenced to 11 months in prison after pleading guilty to receiving unlawful compensation from HUD with the intent to defraud.
As required by their plea agreements, the defendants paid the remaining restitution owed to HUD prior to sentencing. The total amount of restitution paid by these three defendants was $99,835.29. For the whole case, $336,340.22 in restitution has been repaid to HUD as a result of the prosecutions of the Loren family.
The case was originally prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison, when she was an Assistant United States Attorney. Monday’s sentencing was conducted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah Resnick Cohen and Craig A. Weier. The case was investigated by agents of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
