A federal grand jury in Tyler indicted the former executive director and former office manager of Habitat for Humanity of Deep East Texas on Monday, Oct. 5, charging each with conspiracy to commit bank fraud over an alleged four-year scheme that pulled loans and a $488,000 line of credit from two local banks without the Lufkin nonprofit’s board ever voting on them.
Susan Robertson, the former executive director, and Ardtrenda Mosby-Vinson, the former office manager, were fired in April 2024 after an internal investigation that spring uncovered financial irregularities and prompted an FBI probe, according to the indictment. The indictment accuses the pair of fraudulently obtaining loans and a line of credit from Commercial Bank of Texas and Bank of Montgomery between Jan. 1, 2020, and April 24, 2024, including a $100,000 loan used to build a Lufkin home for Mosby-Vinson that the Habitat board never approved and two personal loans to Robertson totaling $110,000. Nonprofit debit cards were used for personal travel to Jamaica, Hawaii, Las Vegas and a Round Rock resort, the indictment states.
Habitat for Humanity of Deep East Texas said Monday it has since rebuilt its oversight. “These developments, while difficult, represent the final step in closing a painful chapter and ensuring full accountability,” board president Callie Morgan said in a statement, adding that the organization will continue to seek restitution for the misused funds. If convicted, each defendant faces up to 30 years in federal prison and fines of up to $1 million, along with forfeiture of all property and proceeds tied to the alleged offense.
Plea agreements for Robertson and Mosby-Vinson are due Oct. 26, and jury selection and trial are set for Nov. 23 before U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle in Tyler.
Sources: Lufkin Daily News, KTRE.