BOSTON (WWLP) – After accepting unauthorized utility payments from a low-income tenant while taking part in a federal housing subsidy program, Holyoke landlord Carmen Manix agreed to pay a $15,000 penalty for filing false claims to the government.

The Federal Housing Choice Voucher Program, also known as “Section 8,” offers low-income people federal funds to assist them in finding safe and affordable housing. The local public housing agencies, which are funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), determine the total monthly rent, which includes some utilities, that landlords of Section 8 residents must pay. Landlords receive the housing subsidy directly from HUD.

In exchange, landlords agree to adhere to a number of program criteria, such as not raising the rent or utility costs for Section 8 residents over what the public housing agency has set.

Despite this restriction, Carmen Manix demanded and received monthly utility payments from a Section 8 tenant between September 2000 and August 2017. According to a Department of Justice news release, this tenant later sued Manix for false claims under the False Claims Act’s whistleblower provisions. Manix acknowledges that she violated her agreements with HUD by requesting and receiving utility payments from the Section 8 tenant as part of the settlement reached Wednesday.

“The Section 8 program provides critical assistance to low-income families in need of safe and affordable housing,” said United States...

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