By Mark Langlois
The former director of the Fairfield Housing Authority pleaded guilty Tuesday in Federal Court to embezzling $30,000 from the agency.
According to testimony in court and court documents, Elizabeth Jo Gutierrez, 47, of Ridgefield, worked for the Fairfield Housing Authority as executive director from July 2010 to December 2011. In the summer of 2011, Gutierrez issued two checks, each in the amount of $15,000, from the Fairfield Housing Authority’s checking account and subsequently deposited them into her own checking account.
The Fairfield Housing Authority administers federal housing programs for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with the mission of providing affordable housing for eligible low-income families and the elderly.
HUD authorities alerted Fairfield's Chief Fiscal Officer Robert Mayer in December 2012 to an investigation regarding potential embezzlement of funds from the Housing Authority.
Gutierrez is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Robert N. Chatigny on August 27, at which time she faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. Gutierrez was released on a $50,000 bond since her arrest on Jan. 31.
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