Williston couple charged with enaging in public aid fraud of $21,311
MUGSHOTS, L-R: Boris Lindsey and Teressa Manning.
Bronson, Florida - Earlier this week, detectives with the Levy County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) arrested two Williston residents on charges of engaging in public aid fraud. The two were Boris Lindsey, 54. and Teressa Manning, 48. The arrests were based on documentation gathered by staff members of the North Central Florida Regional Housing Authority, which enabled the LCSO to develop probable cause for the arrests.
The investigation showed that Lindsey and Manning had been scamming the housing authority for more than two years. During the timeframe of April 14, 2018 through approximately September 1, 2020, the couple received $21,311 in cash payments for rental assistance.
According to the arrest affidavit filed by LCSO Corporal C.J. Perryman, this is how the scam worked: In 2018, Ms. Manning applied for and was granted rental assistance to enable her to rent a residence located at 13816 NE 55th Street in Williston. The rental assistance was transferred by direct deposit to Manning’s “landlord,” whom she identified as Mr. Lindsey. In actuality, less than one month after the rental assistance was approved, Manning and Lindsey were married; the residence is owned exclusively by Ms. Manning, and Mr. Lindsey has no legal interest in the real property. As a result of the scam, Manning and Lindsey were able to live together as husband and wife, in a residence owned by her, for a period of more than two years, and during that time, receiving taxpayer funded payments of $21,311.
Manning and Lindsey were both booked into the Levy County Detention Center. Mr. Lindsey was arrested on April 26, and released on a $43,000 bond on April 27, while Ms. Manning was arrested on April 27 and released on a $50,000 bond on April 28.