Information — United States v. Semaj Portis, No. 4:22-cr-00295 (E.D. Mo., Dkt. 1)

Summary

An Information filed May 23, 2022 as Doc. 1 in United States of America v. Semaj Portis, No. 4:22-cr-00295-AGF, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division. The United States Attorney charges one count of wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343. The Information describes the Missouri Housing Development Commission's rental assistance programs SAFHR and ERAP and alleges a scheme from at least January 15, 2021 through at least October 18, 2021 in which 52 fraudulent rental assistance applications listed the defendant or a nonprofit as landlord. It alleges that the Commission wired a total of $267,238.00 to the defendant's bank accounts, and cites a SAFHR application (#2946) transmitted on or about May 21, 2021.

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“Information — United States v. Semaj Portis, No. 4:22-cr-00295 (E.D. Mo., Dkt. 1).” Original at archive.org. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/information-no-4-22-cr-00295-dkt-1-e-d-mo-a3e822e060/, SHA-256 8e6871753ed903503fca3a038e22432353cc7f4266c1479b52e2338c30b72a87.

Full text

Case: 4:22-cr-00295-AGF Doc. #: 1 Filed: 05/23/22 Page: 1 of 6 PageID #: 1
flLED
MAY 2 3 2022
UNITED STATES DISTRCT COURT U. S. DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRCT OF MISSOURI EASTERN.DISTRICT Of MO
EASTERN DIVISION ST. LOUtS .

;UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, )
)
Plaintiff, )
) I
V. )
)
4~22CR00295 AGF
)
SEMAJ PORTIS, )
)
Defendant., )

INFORMATION

The United States Attorney charges that:

COUNT ONE
(Wire Fraud: 18 U.S.C. § 1343)

· A. Introduction

At all times material to this Information, unless otherwise specified below:

1. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 authorized federal "Emergency

Rental Assistance" dollars from the United States Department of Treasury to be provided to states

to administer for the benefit of households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Missouri
/

Housing Development Commission ("MHDC") administered and distributed the federal

Emergency Rental Assistance dollars forthe State of Missouri underthe Missouri State Assistance

for Housing Relief Program ("SAFHR"). SAFHR provided rental assistance for households

impacted by COVID-19 .. Under SAFHR, landlords could apply to the MHDC on behalf of eligible

tenants for rental assistance to be paid directly to the landlord. Rental assistance under SAFHR

included up to twelve months of rent arrears and up to three months of prepaid rent.
/

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Case: 4:22-cr-00295-AGF Doc. #: 1 Filed: 05/23/22 Page: 2 of 6 PageID #: 2

2. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security ("CARES") Act was a federal

law that was enacted in or around March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to the

millions of Americans suffering the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among

other things, ihe CARES Act made "COVID-19 Emergency Solutions Grants" available to states
for emergency rental arrears assistance. The MHDC admiriistered and distributed COVID-19

,Emergency Solutions Grants for the State of Missouri under the Missouri Emergency Rentri-1

Arrears Pro gram ("ERAP"). Much like SAFHR, ERAP provided financial support for landlords

and renters who were struggling due to the COVID-19 emergency in the State of Missouri. The

program reimbursed eligible landlords for past due rent payments caused by the COVID-19

pandemic. To receive ERAP assistance, landlords had to complete and submit applications to 1he

MHDC in collaboration with their tenant. If approved, the MHDC provided eligible landlords wi1h ,
!
up to six ~onths ofrehtal arrears.

3. To obtain rental assistance under SAFHR and ERAP, a qualifying landlord was

required to submit an electronic application to the MHDC. For SAFHR and ERAP applications, a

landlord had to submit contact information for the landlord and the tenant, including a copy of 1he
l - , .
I

landlord's W-9 and a copy of the tenant's photo identification. Under both programs, the landlord

was also required to submit a copy of the lease agreement along with the landlord's banking

information. In exchange for the MHDC' s regtal assistance under both programs, landlords were

also required to agree not to evict the tenant for a certain amount of time. To complete an

application for rental assistance under SAFHR and ERAP, landlords were also required to certify
1
that their statements to the MHDC were true and correct to the best of their knowledge.

4. Defendant SEMAJ PORTIS resided in St. Louis, Missouri, within the Eastern

District of Missouri.

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Case: 4:22-cr-00295-AGF Doc. #: 1 Filed: 05/23/22 Page: 3 of 6 PageID #: 3

5. Forever Riding was a nonprofit corporation registered with.the Missouri Secretary

of State's Office on January 15, 2021.

B. The Scheme to Defraud

6. Beginning by at least on or about January 15, 2021, and continuing through at least

on or about October 18, 2021, in the Eastern District of Missouri, and elsewhere, the defendant,

SEMAJ PORTIS, with the intent to defraud, devised and intended. to devise a scheme and artifice
'
to defraud the MHDC and to obtain money and property from the MHDC by means of material

false and fraudulent p_retenses, representations, and promises, as described further herein.

7. It was part of the, scheme and artifice to defraud that, on or about January_ 15, 2021,

Defendant registered Forever Riding as a nonprofit corp~ration with the Missouri Secretary (?f
/

State's Office. Defendant listed herself on Forever Riding's Articles of Incorporation as the

registered agent and incorporator.

· 8. It was further part of the scheme and artifice to defraud that, between on or about _

· January 15, ~021, until at least on or about July 6, 2021, Defendant submitted a total of 52

fraudulent applications for rental assistance to the MHDC. Of the 52 fraudulent applications

submitted by Defendant to the MHDC, Defendant submitted 3 7 fraudulent SAFHR applications

and 15 fraudulent ERAP applications.

9. It was further part of the scheme and artifice to defraud that, for each of the

fraudulent applications that Defendant submitted to the MHDC, Defendant listed the landlord as
'
either herself or hernonptofit, Forever Riding. But, in truth and fact, neither Defendantnor Forever
'

Riding served as the landlord for any of the tenants listed in the 52 fraudulent applications
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submitted to the MHDC.

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Case: 4:22-cr-00295-AGF Doc. #: 1 Filed: 05/23/22 Page: 4 of 6 PageID #: 4

10. It was further part of the 'scheme anµ artifice to defraud that Defendant submitted

fraudulent lease agreements to the MHDC in support of each of the fraudulent applications for

rental assistance that she submitted to the MHDC. In each of the fraudulent leas6 agreements,

Defendant listed either herself or her nonprofit, Forever Riding, as the landlord. But, in truth and

fact, neither Defendant nor Forever Riding,se~ed as the landlord for any, of the tenants listed in

the fraudulent lease agreements.

11. It was further part of the scheme and artifice to defraud· that, for each of the 52
I

fraudulent applications for rental assistance that Defendant submitted to the MHDC, Defendant

listed herself as the "Application Point of Contact." For her contact information in each fraudulent

application submitted to the MHDC, Defendant included her cellphone number and her email

address.

12. It was further part of the scheme and artifice to defraud that, for each of the 52

fraudulent applications for rental assistance that Defendant submitted to the MHDC, ·Defendant

provided either her personal BMO Harris bank account****** 5297 or her business Midwest Bank

Centre account***** *2912 to receive rental assistance from the MHDC.

13. It was further part of the scheme and artifice to defraud that Defendant

electronically submitted each of the 52 fraudulent applications for rental assistance to the MHDC.

After Defendant electronically submitted the fraudulent applications for rental assistance, those

applications traveled by means of wire transmission through an out-of-state server before arriving

at the MHDC for processing.

14. · It was further part of the scheme and artifice to defraud that, based on the material

misrepresentations that Defendant made in her fraudulent applications for rental assistance, the

MHDC wired a total of $267,238.00 to Defendant's bank accounts. Defendant spent the proceeds

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Case: 4:22-cr-00295-AGF Doc. #: 1 Filed: 05/23/22 Page: 5 of 6 PageID #: 5
J

on personal expenses, including on vacations and purchases of property ~ithin the Eastern District

of Missouri.

C. Wire Transmission

15. . On or about May 21, 2021, within the Eastern District of Missourt for the pwpose

of executing the above-described scheme and artifice to ~efraud and obtain money and property

by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises and for the purpose of

executingthe same,

SEMAJ PORTIS,

the defendant herein, did knowingly transmit and cause to be transmitted by means of wire
\ . .
communication in and affecting interstate_commerce, certain writings, signs, signals, pictures, or

sounds, to wit, an electronic SAFHR application (#2946) for rental assistance that she submitted

to the MHDC throuM an out-of-state server from the Eastern District of Missouri.

All in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

Dated: C .. -z.s- 2o'tl

SAYLER A. FLEMING
United States Attorney

c g: ~[', ;;;;' ...
I
,)
Derek J. Wisem'an, #67257MO ·
Assistant United States Attorney

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Case: 4:22-cr-00295-AGF Doc. #: 1 Filed: 05/23/22 Page: 6 of 6 PageID #: 6

\
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI
EASTERN DIVISION

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, )
)
~laintiff, . )
)
vs. )
)
SEMAJ PORTIS, )·
Defendant. )

I, Derek J. Wiseman, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri,

,· ~y__;-~
being duly sworn, do say that the foregoing information is true' as I verily believe.

DEREK J. WISEMAN, #67257MO
Assistant United States Attorney

Subscribed and sworn to before me this
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'"'

ls/Jason W. Dockery
DEPUTY CLERK

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