Former CHA vendor charged with cashing over $193,000 in fraudulent checks

Theft and forgery charges were announced Tuesday against a former Chicago Housing Authority vendor who allegedly made and deposited fraudulent checks that were purportedly from the housing authority totaling more than $193,000.

Mohd A. Assaf, 36, of Lombard, was charged with five counts of forgery and four counts of theft in Cook County Circuit Court, according to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. He also faces four counts of forgery and three counts of theft in DuPage County Circuit Court.

Assaf, who owns M&M Painting Services Inc., allegedly cashed over $193,000 in fraudulent CHA checks at currency exchanges and financial institutions between Nov. 2016 and February, the attorney general’s office said.

Assaf is being held without bond at Cook County Jail, the attorney general’s office said. His next court date was set for April 18.

The investigation was conducted by the CHA Office of the Inspector General.

“The defendant exploited his work for the Chicago Housing Authority to steal resources intended for public housing residents,” Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a statement. “I appreciate the work of the CHA’s Office of the Inspector General in this investigation.”