Russian immigrants who apparently became unwitting participants in a fraud scheme are asking the Cook County Circuit Court to block the Chicago Housing Authority from canceling their housing subsidies or removing them from a waiting list for assistance vouchers.
Steven Laduzinsky, the CHA’s first assistant general counsel, said Tuesday that the agency will seek to get the suit dismissed as premature.
He said the 54 immigrants were all entitled to administrative hearings, and no one would lose their subsidy until those hearings are completed.
Some of the immigrants said they received letters from the CHA late last month notifying them that their Section 8 assistance was being terminated because of “fraudulent representations” made in connection with their application for the certificates.
Others were informed they were immediately being removed from the Section 8 waiting list for exactly the same reasons.
A report released by the CHA last week included allegations that several Russian immigrants had paid $3,000 to $5,000 each to a woman who runs a Chicago homeless shelter, who then certified them as homeless even though they weren’t.
CHA officials say the immigrants were unaware they were taking part in an illegal action.
