Bob Barr 'Disappointed' By Sentence Given To Former OCHA Executive Director

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Ocean City Housing Authority (OCHA) Chairman and City Councilman Bob Barr expressed disappointment upon learning that former OCHA Executive Director Alesia Watson had been sentenced to three years probation after admitting she embezzled funds from the housing authority.

“It’s very disappointing,” Barr said on Thursday night. “I was hoping for a stiffer penalty.”

Watson, 54, of Galloway Township, previously pleaded guilty to an information charging her with one count of embezzling federal funds received from HUD and administered by OCHA to which she was not entitled.

Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced the sentence late Thursday afternoon. In addition to the sentence, Watson must pay $8,050 in restitution. U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen M. Williams handed down the sentence in Camden Federal Court on Thursday.

On May 8, Watson admitted that from December 2013 through March 2015, she bought 69 MasterCard gift cards using OCHA’s two credit cards, according to Fitzpatrick.

She then used the gift cards for personal expenses not related to the housing authority. She also admitted to allowing her friends and family to use those cards, according to authorities.

Watson used the funds received from HUD and administered by the housing authority to pay the credit card bills associated with the purchase of the gift cards. Following her admission of guilt, Watson resigned from her position as executive director of the Brick Township Housing Authority. Four days later, she was removed as OCHA’s executive director.

Ocean City then terminated its deal with Brick and entered into a month-to-month shared services agreement with the Vineland Housing Authority for the services of Jacqueline Jones. Barr has maintained that OCHA didn’t know she was being investigated by federal authorities.

Barr did have some suspicions surrounding her actions, and on April 5, he said OCHA learned that it owed Ocean City an additional $141,000 on top of $106,000 it knew it already owed. He said the housing authority went from having $800,000 five years ago to owing the city more than it has. OCHA manages housing for low-income families, senior citizens and the disabled, with funding provided by HUD.

Watson may be gone, but the impact of her actions still has an effect on OCHA, Barr said. OCHA recently re-evaluated the rent for each tenant in the 120 units the authority oversees.

“We realized the rent wasn’t being calculated properly,” Barr said. “On Oct. 1, rents will go up, and we’ll bring in $15,000 a month more in revenue.”

He said the tenants aren’t happy about that, but the extra revenue will provide a nice shot in the arm for the still struggling authority.

Despite its struggles, Barr said the housing authority has made great progress under the leadership of Jones, who Barr said is doing “yeoman’s work” for the authority.

Barr said they are now truly working for those in need, and hopes they will be happy with the progress the housing authority makes when it’s all said and done. He spoke about a redevelopment project that is underway at the Bay View Manor senior citizens complex, and said more great things would be coming down the road.

“I’m very proud of what we’re doing,” Barr said. “We’re cleaning up the things Alesia did, and we’re moving on. At our meetings, our conversations don’t center around that anymore.”

Attached image of Alesia Watson via Ocean City Housing Authority