TOLEDO, Ohio - A former Toledo mayoral candidate is among three people convicted of using federal grant money for personal gain.
James Moody was found guilty Monday of taking federal money for job training and using it to pay for personal expenses. Moody, Victoria Hawkins of Grand Rapids and Angela Bowser of Toledo were convicted for their activities at Toledo-based Business Rehabilitation Informed Decisions Guiding Employment Strategies, or B.R.I.D.G.E.S., Inc.
The company provided work placement and work training services to public assistance recipients and nearly all of its funding came from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. According to court documents, Moody, Hawkins and Bowser used the funding to pay for personal expenses, including vacations, vehicles, real estate purchases and investments.
B.R.I.D.G.E.S., Inc. founder Daniel Morris plead guilty to the same charges last month.
Moody, Hawkins and Bowser will be sentenced next April.