Amarillo City Employee Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Over $465,000 from Homeless Shelter Program
AMARILLO, TX– U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Leigha Simonton, announced today that Amy Dixon, 44, a former Homeless Management Information Specialist for the City of Amarillo, has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $465,000 from a federally funded program designed to provide shelter for homeless individuals.
Dixon, who was responsible for managing funds through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s (HUD) Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program, admitted to conspiracy charges in connection with her embezzlement. Her role included distributing funds to local landlords, completing lease agreements, coordinating property inspections, and assembling payment voucher packages.
According to court documents, Dixon's fraudulent scheme began in September 2020 when she used a relative’s personally identifiable information to create a fictitious landlord. She generated false payment vouchers and directed the Amarillo Finance Department to contact her when the vouchers were ready. Dixon then forged her relative’s name on the checks and deposited the funds into her personal bank account.
The fraud continued when HUD allowed outside inspections of properties. Dixon exploited this change by processing payments for non-existent properties. In total, Dixon created 223 fraudulent payment vouchers, resulting in 66 checks issued to fictitious landlords, amounting to a total loss of $465,511.65.
Dixon faces a maximum of five years in federal prison. The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Dallas Field Office – Amarillo Resident Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto is prosecuting the case.
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For more information about the case or to report suspected crimes, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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