$6,200 Stolen from Massachusetts Housing Authority Funded Bathroom Renovation

Michael Lara, the former director of the Watertown Housing Authority in Massachusetts, has agreed to repay $6,200 he stole from the authority's accounts. He used these funds to renovate his master bathroom between July 2019 and January 2025.

Lara had access to the housing authority's Home Depot charge account and also used credit cards for the Watertown Housing Development Corporation, of which he was president. According to prosecutors, Lara began using funds from the authority and development corporation for personal expenses in 2022.

In 2023, Lara spent over $6,000 on fixtures for his bathroom at Moniques Bath Showroom and Home Depot. He even instructed his contractor to install these fixtures via text messages, sending pictures of the installed fixtures to another individual, as revealed by prosecutors in a charging document filed in court.

The Massachusetts Office of Inspector General began investigating Lara's improper use of funds in 2024. Lara responded to their request with the housing authority's policies and procedures governing credit card use, but he eventually removed the installed fixtures and replaced them with new ones.