Investigations

On February 28, 2018, Shonda Renee Stubblefield, a.k.a. Shonda McGowan, was convicted on 10 counts after a jury trial in U.S. District Court, Houston, Texas. She was indicted in February 2018, charged with theft of public money, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.

 

Stubblefield was the owner of a company named World Corporation (World), which participated in a regional telework program administered by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC) and funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The program provided financial incentives to encourage companies to participate in telework.

 

Over approximately 2 years, Stubblefield received $125,659 in FHWA funds as a reimbursement for business costs associated with an expansion of a telework program that never occurred. She falsely claimed that World recruited individuals for the HGAC program. FHWA provided funding to World’s telework program to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in the Houston Metropolitan area.

 

Stubblefield is scheduled to be sentenced on May 10, 2018.