Grant Money Meant For Seniors Used On Virility Drugs For Official: DA

BOSTON, MA - The former head of a Boston elder services program was accused of stealing thousands of dollars that were intended to benefit the city’s seniors and using the money to fund elaborate personal vacations and Viagra-like supplements for himself, officials said.

Alfred Davis, 70, of Lynn was indicted on charges of two counts of larceny over $250 and single counts of forgery and uttering, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley and other officials announced Wednesday.

Davis was the director of elder services for the Boston Housing Authority in 2008 when the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation named him a “Community Health Leader” and awarded him a grant of $105,000 to improve the health of Boston seniors living in public housing, officials said.

Davis was also awarded a $20,000 stipend for his own personal development as a community health leader, according to officials.

Davis, who had been employed with BHA for two decades, allegedly never told the housing authority about the funds and instead used a number of maneuvers to keep most of the money for himself, officials said.

The alleged misuse of funds caused the Elder and Disabled Housing Division of the Boston Housing Authority to be eliminated and its operations taken over by other City of Boston offices, officials said.

“This defendant was a trusted member of the elder services community. But rather than fulfilling the commitment he made to Boston’s seniors, he allegedly used his position of trust to cash in at the expense of vulnerable elders and the agencies dedicated to meeting their needs,” DA Conley said in the announcement.

A multi-agency investigation alleged Davis used some of the money to help the seniors, but pocketed about $20,000, officials said.

The accused allegedly withdrew $5,400 of the funds from ATMs and snagged $9,900 directly by forging an invoice for a senior fitness program that had already been funded, officials said.

Davis allegedly used some of the funds towards cab fare to get seniors to and from dental appointments but later asked the clinic for reimbursement for those costs.

The clinic reportedly paid Davis these reimbursements using money from a separate grant that had been awarded to the clinic by the Sunshine Lady Foundation, officials said.

Davis allegedly used his easy money to take vacations to Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Barbados, officials said. He also allegedly invested in expensive meals, a new mattress, collectable coins and virility supplements, according to officials.

“Mr. Davis used his position to steal grant money intended to improve the lives of elderly BHA residents,” Inspector General Glenn A. Cunha said in the announcement. "We’re pleased that the District Attorney and investigators from our office, the Boston Police and the HUD Inspector General were able to hold Mr. Davis accountable for this abuse.”