LEWISTON — A rental property owner in Maine is facing federal fraud and embezzlement charges for allegedly lying on government loan applications and using the money for his personal use.
The federal complaint says 47-year-old Travis Soule got estimates from various contractors for rehabilitation work on three rental properties in Lewiston for loan applications with the Housing and Urban Development’s HOME program, which is aimed at improving the availability of affordable housing for low-income families.
The complaint says the applications for $180,000 in loans were fraudulent and that work for which the funds were authorized wasn’t done.
Soule’s attorney told the Sun Journal of Lewiston that he had no comment on the charges.
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