Vanessa Robinson, 35, a former Grant Manager for the City of Amarillo’s Community Development Department, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for embezzling more than $121,000 from a federally funded housing program for homeless individuals, Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson announced.
Robinson managed funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from 2013 until January 2024, distributing payments to landlords providing housing to homeless or near-homeless residents. Between July 2019 and September 2024, Robinson abused her position by posing as a program recipient and living rent-free for more than two years. She enlisted a co-conspirator, a former employee, to act as her caseworker and communicate with her landlord. The rent-free period alone cost the program $34,673.
Additionally, Robinson created fraudulent lease agreements using her husband’s identity as a fictitious landlord and submitted false applications in the names of family members to fraudulently obtain housing assistance. The total loss to the program amounted to $121,325.
In March 2025, Robinson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to embezzle from a federally funded program. On July 22, 2025, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk sentenced her to 18 months in prison and ordered restitution of $121,325.21 to the City of Amarillo.
Separately, Amy Dixon, another former Amarillo city employee, pled guilty in June 2024 to a similar conspiracy charge involving the theft of over $465,000 from the same HUD program. Dixon was sentenced to 24 months in prison in October 2024 and ordered to pay restitution of $465,511.65.
“This breach of the public trust will not be tolerated,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Larson. “We are proud of our law enforcement partners’ work in seeing justice done in this case.”
FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock and HUD Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Robert Lawler emphasized their commitment to holding those who defraud federal programs accountable.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Dallas Field Office – Amarillo Resident Agency and the HUD Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto prosecuted the case.
