Former Whitefish Housing Authority Executive Director Sentenced to Prison for Embezzlement
Dwarne Lamont Hawkins was sentenced to four months in prison to be followed by four months of home confinement and is ordered to pay $144,842
By Maggie Dresser
The former executive director of the Whitefish Housing Authority was sentenced Friday to four months in prison and four months of home confinement, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and is ordered to pay $144,842 for embezzling from the organization, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Dwarne Lamont Hawkins, 46, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy in October 2024 to theft from an organization receiving federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
According to court documents, Hawkins from May 2023 to January 2024 embezzled money from the Whitefish Housing Authority while serving as the organization’s executive director.
The Whitefish Housing Authority provides affordable housing options for low-income families in the Whitefish community and received approximately $468,616 in federal funds from HUD during the period of the indictment.
Hawkins diverted money and inflated payroll from the housing authority, fraudulently paying personal expenses with the Whitefish Housing Authority credit card and creating and paying fraudulent invoices to businesses over which he had control.
The investigation identified approximately $144,842 in restitution.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.