Former Newark Cop Admits he Lied to Get Section-8 Money

A former Newark police officer Wednesday admitted he defrauded the city housing authority so that he and his wife could continue to receive federal rental assistance, US Attorney Paul Fishman announced.

Suliaman Kamara, 31, owned a home on West End Avenue between 2006 and 2011 he shared with a woman identified in court papers as “S.L..”  The couple were married in 2007.

S.L. qualified for so-called "Section 8" subsidies administered through the Newark Housing Authority based on her income while living at the West End Avenue home. The couple also lived at a Lincoln Avenue home between March 2009 and February 2010.

While S.L. was receiving the assistance, neither she nor Kamara had disclosed they were living together or married. Housing assistance is awarded based on the income of every member of a household.

The couple received about $60,000 in rental assistance, Fishman said.

Kamara, who pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 12.