BOSTON, November 4, 2016—The former head of a Boston elder services program this week pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars in grant money that was intended to help Boston seniors and returned a large portion of those funds, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

ALFRED G. DAVIS (D.O.B. 5/20/45) of Lynn on Wednesday pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny over $250 and single counts of forgery and uttering.  At the recommendation of prosecutors and Davis’ attorney, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Rosalind Miller sentenced Davis to one year of probation, during which he must repay $12,500 in restitution.  Davis paid half of that amount at the time of his sentencing, prosecutors said.

Had the case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorney Ursula Knight, chief of the DA’s Elders and Persons with Disabilities Unit, would have presented evidence and testimony to prove that Davis used his position as the director of elder services for the Boston Housing Authority to bilk two national charities out of approximately $15,000 that was intended for helping seniors in public housing remain healthy and active.

In 2008, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation named Davis a “Community Health Leader” – an honor that is accompanied by a $105,000 grant for his agency and an additional $20,000 for Davis to spend toward his personal development as a community health leader.

While he used some of the grant funds for their intended purpose, he submitted a false invoice for approximately $10,000 to fund a senior fitness program that had already been funded through other sources and pocketed the money.

Davis used some of the grant funds to purchase taxi vouchers for senior to travel to appointments at a community dental clinic; he then submitted receipts for these trips in order to receive reimbursements that he was not entitled to.  Those reimbursements were paid from a grant that the clinic had received from a second non-profit, the Sunshine Lady Foundation.

He also used some of the funds to pay two other BHA employees unauthorized bonuses.

A joint investigation by Suffolk prosecutors, Boston Police Anti-Corruption Division, the Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General was launched after the BHA received two anonymous letters making allegations against Davis.  Investigators gathered witness statements, bank statements, and other documentation of approximately $15,000 in misused funds. After Davis’ thefts came to light, the BHA’s elder services program was eliminated.

“Today’s resolution in a case of selfish greed ensures that a great deal of the money that was stolen is returned and used for its intended purpose – serving Boston’s seniors,” Conley said. “I want to highlight the efforts of Boston Police, the Office of the Inspector General, and HUD in holding this defendant accountable.”

Kelly Hogan was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate.  Davis was represented by Craig Collins.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.