Missouri Man Admits $284,000 Pandemic Rental Assistance Fraud

Summary

A U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri press release of Wednesday, June 10, 2026 reports that Steven W. Hendren, 33, of Moberly, Missouri pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of wire fraud. Hendren admitted submitting a series of fraudulent rental assistance applications to the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC), which ran the State Assistance for Housing Relief (SAFHR) program, from March 2021 through June 2024. According to the release, the applications falsely listed Hendren as a landlord, used fake lease agreements and financial statements, or inflated rent amounts. The MHDC wired a total of $284,840 to Hendren's account, much of it spent on personal expenses including a 2020 GMC Yukon. Sentencing is scheduled for September 8; the charge carries up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

Press Release

Missouri Man Admits $284,000 Pandemic Rental Assistance Fraud

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS – A Moberly, Missouri man on Wednesday admitted fraudulently obtaining $284,000 that was supposed to provide rental assistance to Missouri residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Steven W. Hendren, 33, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of wire fraud. He admitted submitting a series of fraudulent applications for rental assistance to the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) from March 2021 through June 2024. The MHDC administered the State Assistance for Housing Relief (SAFHR) program, which was designed to provide emergency assistance for rent, utility bills and other expenses during the pandemic.

Hendren submitted numerous fraudulent SAFHR applications, falsely listing himself as a landlord. He included fake lease agreements and financial statements. He submitted other applications in which he fraudulently inflated rent amounts and altered lease agreements and financial statements to back up his lies. The MHDC wired a total of $284,840 to Hendren’s account, much of which Hendren used for personal expenses, including the purchase of a 2020 GMC Yukon.

Hendren is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8. The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine. He will also be ordered to repay the money.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Contact

Robert Patrick, Public Affairs Officer, robert.patrick@usdoj.gov.

Updated June 10, 2026

Topics

Fraud

COVID-Related Fraud

Components

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

National Fraud Enforcement Division

USAO - Missouri, Eastern

File and source

File: doj-doj-press-release-missouri-man-admits-284000-pandemic-rental-assistance-fraud-2026-06-10.html
Size: 95,210 bytes
SHA-256: 43cb468dc354d3e6c5b3ecfe274361bc0a70d1101d9a03b98fa024126451757c
Our copy: doj-doj-press-release-missouri-man-admits-284000-pandemic-rental-assistance-fraud-2026-06-10.html
Original: www.justice.gov