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Ex-government employee accused of stealing more than $300K from low income residents

Posted at 10:54 PM, Aug 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-08 05:14:13-04

Our senior citizens should be respected and cherished, not taken advantage of.

Well, federal prosecutors say that’s exactly what happened to some residents at Palmer Park Manor in St. Clair.

They were the victims. The suspect is the former executive of the St. Clair Housing Commission, Lorena Loren.

A federal document lays it all out in black and white, saying that Lorena was out for the mean green!

She’s been charged with embezzling more than $300,000.

Federal prosecutors say before Lorena retired, she used money meant to manage and operate the facility for her own personal gain.

The documents detail the use of the company credit card and other stolen monies to purchase booze, beauty supplies and fancy furniture.

Federal attorneys say she had family members open bank accounts to help manage the stolen money.

They say Lorena also bought lovely homes for her loved ones — and a pretty nice pad for herself too in southeast Georgia.

“The residents were upset and we couldn’t believe that a person we trusted would do something like that,” says six-year resident Tom Strickler.

If Lorena is convicted of these charges, she could spend five years behind bars.

The Palmer Park Manor has been under new and improved management since Lorena Loren’s departure.