Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Housing Authority short on cash after misuse of $2.8 million in funds
Cavalier Johnson and Gwen Moore talk about the impact of frozen federal funds
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore talk about the impact of frozen federal funds on Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
Milwaukee Housing Authority executives are scrambling to cut costs, after the agency’s new chief financial officer discovered that more than $2.8 million in rental assistance funds were misused by his predecessors.
Between 2019 and 2022, the Housing Authority’s former director of finance improperly pulled restricted federal funds out of the Section 8 rent assistance program to cover cash needs in other divisions of the agency, according to the CFO’s discovery.
Those transfers were used to cover a number of expenses — including administrative payroll and costs from construction projects that had gone over budget.
As a consequence, the Housing Authority says it is running an average of 45 days behind on paying its expenditures. The agency also has fallen behind on its pension fund contributions, and costs from its development projects currently exceed the amount covered by construction loans.
Now, executives are making major cuts to help “stop the bleeding.” On Thursday, 20 Housing Authority employees were laid off to bring down expenses.
New finance hire solved $3 million mystery
The dramatic discovery — disclosed publicly during a special meeting of the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners on Friday afternoon — solves a mystery that confounded agency leaders, the mayor’s office and federal regulators for nearly two years.
In April 2023, federal auditors reported finding more than $3 million in “unexplained variances” on the Housing Authority’s bank balance. After nearly two years, the agency’s finance team had failed to reconcile that cash balance.
Brad Leak — who joined the Housing Authority’s finance team in November and was promoted to be its chief financial officer on Jan. 19 — was able to trace that cash within a matter of months.
The revelation also comes after a dramatic leadership shakeup inside the agency.
All but one member of the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners are new appointees, and a slew of top executives have either retired or resigned in recent months — including Willie Hines, the agency’s controversial top executive and Fernando Aniban, the Housing Authority’s second-in-command and former chief financial officer.
Other recent departures include Finance Director Rick Koffarnus, Housing Choice Voucher Program Director Jackie Martinez and Warren Jones, vice president of construction for the Housing Authority’s development arm.
No evidence employees pocketed funds, more investigation promised
The use of restricted federal funds for unauthorized purposes is “improper and illegal under federal regulation,” Leak said in his address to the board Friday.
But Leak and Acting Secretary-Executive Director Ken Barbeau say they have not found evidence that the funds were pocketed for personal expenses — only that they were improperly transferred within the agency.
A recent forensic audit, which reviewed every financial record within the Section 8 rent assistance program, also did not find any evidence that employees had pocketed agency money.
That forensic audit, however, did not review financial records in other divisions of the Housing Authority — including within its real estate development arm Travaux, Inc.
Now, as these findings come to light, board is discussing the possibility of another forensic audit to examine other parts of the agency, Barbeau said.
Board chair vows ‘it’s a new day’ for the Housing Authority
Chairperson Charlotte Hayslett, who grew up in public housing and joined the board in November, became emotional as she apologized to residents on behalf of the organization.
“This is an embarrassment,” Hayslett said, adding: “It’s a new day here. I can’t impress upon you enough: It’s a new day here.”
As Hayslett thanked him for immediately coming forward with his findings, Leak wiped away tears.
Hayslett also spoke directly to local nonprofit Common Ground, which has spent the past two years organizing public housing residents and lobbying for reform of the Housing Authority.
“Thank you for that bullhorn,” she said. “Had it not been for you giving voice to the voiceless, people still would’ve been in place doing what they were doing.”
In a statement Friday, Common Ground leaders called for since-departed executives to be held accountable.
“We smelled smoke,” Common Ground tenants and organizers said. “Here’s the fire.”
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man, previously named one of Wisconsin’s Most Wanted, has been sentenced to prison for shooting and killing his cousin in 2020.
In court
What we know:
A Milwaukee County jury found 39-year-old Brandon Gladney guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firm by a felon earlier this year.
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Judge Michelle Havas sentenced Gladney to 29 years in prison on Friday, April 17. He was granted credit for more than a year’s time served and further sentenced to 14 years of extended supervision.
Arrested in Arizona after years on the run, court records show Gladney has also been ordered to pay the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office more than $1,800 for extradition costs.
Homicide investigation
The backstory:
The shooting happened in May 2020. Investigators said Gladney was captured on video apparently arguing with the victim, his cousin, outside a Milwaukee convenience store near 21st and Meinecke.
“It’s all on video, and it’s devastating for that family,” the marshal on the case told FOX6 when Gladney was profiled on Wisconsin’s Most Wanted. “You have a family member that shot and killed another family member.”
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Prosecutors said Gladney walked away but then returned with a gun pointed directly at the victim and shot him. The victim died from his gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital. Multiple bullet casings were found at the scene.
Gladney went on the run for years. He was arrested in Arizona in January 2023, years after he was charged.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the U.S. Marshals Service, Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior coverage.
Brice Turang slides to home plate to score during a game between the Miami Marlins and the Milwaukee Brewers on April 17. (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MIAMI – Garrett Mitchell went 2 for 4 with three RBIs including a two-run double in the 10th inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Miami Marlins 7-5 on Friday night.
By the numbers:
Miami’s Calvin Faucher (1-2) entered a 4-all game in the 10th and walked Gary Sánchez with Brice Turang on second. Jake Bauers hit a single to load the bases.
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Luis Rengifo reached first on a throwing error by second baseman Xavier Edwards, allowing Turang to score. Mitchell followed with his double.
The Marlins scored one run in the bottom of the 10th when Jakob Marsee came home on Trevor Megill’s wild pitch. Megill settled in for his fourth save.
Coleman Crow, who made his debut on the mound for the Brewers, threw 77 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. He threw four strikeouts, gave up two earned runs and a walk.
The right-hander was 2-0 with a 4.07 ERA in two starts with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville. He missed part of the 2023 season and all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The Brewers scored three runs in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Mitchell hit an RBI single, Bauers scored on a forceout at first and Rengifo scored on a throwing error by catcher Agustín Ramírez.
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Miami’s Otto Lopez hit a triple to center field in the fourth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Owen Caissie. Lopez hit a two-run homer in the sixth to pull Miami within 4-3 and Ramírez doubled in the eighth to tie the game at four.
Abner Uribe (1-0) earned his first win of the season, coming on in the ninth inning.
Marlins third baseman Graham Pauley left the game in the seventh inning with right oblique discomfort after spinning out of the way of a pitch.
What’s next:
The Brewers and Marlins continue their 3-game series on Saturday, with Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 4.36 ERA) taking the mound for Milwaukee and Sandy Alcantara (2-1, 2.67) for Miami.
The Source: The Associated Press provided this report.
Michigan wins the national championship over UConn
Michigan beats UConn to win the national championship and we break down how they did it and where both programs go from here.
Loyalty is a word you rarely hear anymore when it comes to college sports.
Amare Hereford is an exception.
The night before he was able to put pen to paper and make his commitment to the UW-Milwaukee men’s basketball team official earlier this week, the Beloit Memorial standout was invited for an on-campus visit with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Hereford did his due diligence. What player wouldn’t have in his position?
“Me being an 18-year-old kid, my first high major [visit], I just decided to go check it out,” Hereford said.
UW put on the full-court press in an attempt to lock down the Wisconsin “Mr. Basketball” finalist.
“They offered me a scholarship,” Hereford said. “It all happened so fast. It was all within a day.”
Hereford went home, processed the situation with his family and came to a decision.
He would honor his commitment to the Panthers, with his signature cementing the deal and UWM announcing the news Thursday, April 16.
“No, it wasn’t really hard to turn down,” Hereford said, referring to UW’s offer. “I love every school and I appreciate every school that reaches out to me. But I’m going to choose a school that I have a great relationship with, with all the coaching staff, and that’s been thinking highly of me and recruited me for the longest time. And that was the Panthers.
“Wisconsin is a great school, of course. But I’m going to the school that has been with me for the longest time.”
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Hereford is a huge addition for a Panthers squad that, like so many other programs due to transfer portal madness, is in the midst of rebuilding its roster for the 2026-2027 season almost from scratch.
“Amare will be a star here at Milwaukee,” coach Bart Lundy said. “He will be a fan favorite from the beginning. He is a complete basketball player but probably has as good of an ability to score as I’ve seen in any high school player. He is a great student and a great worker and completely fits our culture.
“We are so excited that he will represent the city of Milwaukee and the state and especially his hometown of Beloit.”
Indeed, Hereford put the ball through the net for Beloit Memorial at a prodigious rate, averaging 37.5 points per game – tops in the state – as a senior. He finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,493 points in four years.
Hereford also poured in 49 points in his final high school game, a WIAA sectional semifinal loss to Verona last month.
Hereford was tough to guard going to the basket as his 60.7% shooting this past season indicates, but he also shot a terrific 45% from from 3-point range (81 for 180) and capitalized on all the contact he drew to the tune of 83% accuracy at the free-throw line.
More than just a scorer, though, Hereford also finished with team-leading averages of 8.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.9 steals per game.
“My playing style fits the way [the Panthers] play – they get up and down, play fast,” Hereford said. “Coach Lundy said he definitely sees me running [point guard], having the ball in my hands, playing the same way I did in high school, finding teammates, getting to the rim and scoring at all three levels.”
Defense is typically where newcomers experience the biggest growing pains, learning the all-out effort it takes to guard at a high level on every possession.
Hereford, however, indicates he’s more than just a scorer.
“I love playing defense,” he said. “Hitting the gaps, getting steals and different things like that, being active with my hands a lot. I’m definitely looking forward to getting pushed defensively and picking up the ball full court, on-ball pressure in the half court.”
Hereford took his visit to UWM in mid-March, after the season had been completed, but saw enough games on TV to cement his opinion of the challenge ahead.
“The Horizon League is amazing,” he said. “There’s a lot of guards who play the same way I play, like to get up and down, play fast. That’s why I love Coach Lundy and the Panthers and the rest of the staff. They let guys be themselves. They play fast, get up and down, play together as one.
“They let everybody touch the ball and be themselves.”
Before Wisconsin entered the picture, Hereford said he’d narrowed his school choices to UWM and San Diego, where Whitefish Bay Dominican product and former Iowa State assistant JR Blount has taken over as head coach.
Now, Hereford projects as an important piece in the Panthers’ rebuilding process.
“Coach Lundy and the staff, they believe in me heavy. And I just want to prove them right,” Hereford said. “I want them to see that I can come in and make a huge impact right away for the team and in the Horizon League.
“I’m definitely going to come in and compete for my minutes. And obviously, I want to stay there.
“So, definitely looking forward to coming in and earning my spot.”
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