Former Cambridge Housing Employee Caught in Embezzlement Scandal Involving over $14,000

A former employee of the Cambridge Housing Authority has been charged with larceny after allegedly stealing more than $14,000 from the agency, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney.

Maria H. Gomes was arraigned on Dec. 11 on charges stemming from a Dec. 10 police report that accused her of stealing $14,370 through “larceny by continuous scheme,” said Jessica Venezia, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney.

The Cambridge Housing Authority, which employs 160 people, oversees more than 2,700 units of affordable housing in the city and administers Section 8 housing vouchers, which subsidize rent for low-income residents.

Though the allegedly stolen funds represent a small portion of the Housing Authority’s $60 million annual budget, the lost money will have serious consequences, said Councillor Brian P. Murphy ’86-’87.

“Fourteen thousand dollars does represent close to the [Housing Authority] budget for one individual,” he said. “If in fact [larceny] did take place, it has denied one individual of affordable housing.”

But Murphy said that the alleged larceny was an isolated incident and would not affect city policy.

Greg Russ, the executive director of the Housing Authority, said he could not comment on the case because the investigation was ongoing, but that the accused employee had been fired.

Gomes is scheduled to appear at a hearing on June 19, where a date may be set for her trial, according to Venezia.

Cambridge Police Department spokesman Frank D. Pasquarello also declined to comment.

—Staff writer Sarah J. Howland can be reached at showland@fas.harvard.edu.