Ex-NC public housing boss, husband sentenced for stealing taxpayer money
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- Woodell pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal federal program funds.
- A federal judge sentenced Woodell to two years in prison.
- Woodell was ordered to repay $232,488 to the U.S.
A former executive director of a North Carolina housing authority will report to federal prison in the coming months to serve a two-year sentence.
Debbie Woodell, 64, began working as a clerical aide for the Dunn Housing Authority in 1989 and rose to executive director in 2014, according to federal court documents.
During her time leading the agency that oversees 143 housing units, Woodell used her position to make personal purchases on the housing authority credit card and divert cash and housing appliances to herself and her husband, according to a May 2025 indictment. Dunn, which is in Harnett County, is about 40 miles south of Raleigh.
Woodell was initially indicted on five charges:
- conspiracy to steal federal funds,
- making false statements by failing to disclose that her husband received federal funds,
- making false statements about her income on a loan application, and
- two counts of theft involving federal funds.
Housing director’s plea agreement not public
Woodell’s plea agreement isn’t publicly available on the federal court database, Pacer. A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina states that she recently pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiring to commit federal program theft. She was sentenced to two years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Woodell was also ordered to repay $232,488 to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department, which oversees housing authorities across the country.
Woodell’s indictment states she worked with her husband, Kevin Lee Tyson, to pay his maintenance company more than $200,000 for jobs that were never completed.
She also used DHA credit cards for personal purchases, including more than $4,000 in ATV equipment and accessories, and diverted kitchen appliances meant for housing authority tenants to her own home, the indictment states.
Under a plea agreement that also isn’t public, Tyson pleaded guilty to conspiring to take money from the federal government in February. He was sentenced to three years of supervised release and to pay $207,233 in restitution to HUD, according to court documents.
U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle said in the news release that Woodell stole money from taxpayers and the housing authority’s tenants.
“We will continue to hold greedy fraudsters accountable and ensure that criminals who exploit public programs face serious consequences,” he said.
This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 11:54 AM with the headline "Ex-NC public housing boss, husband sentenced for stealing taxpayer money."
