Maryland Resident Pleads Guilty in D.C. Apartment Fraud Using Fake Government Job Offers

WASHINGTON - Tisha Lee, 38, a former contract employee who worked at the U.S. Government Publishing Office, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in connection with a scheme in which she used her position at the federal agency to create fake employment offer letters that individuals used to fraudulently rent District apartments, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

"Tisha Lee turned a federal government email address into a forgery shop, selling phony job offers so people could secure D.C. apartments they couldn't legitimately afford," said U.S. Attorney Pirro. "That's not a victimless con. It's a fraud on every landlord and every honest renter playing by the rules."

Lee, who resided Maryland, pleaded guilty June 16 before Judge Amit P. Mehta to one count of fraud in the second degree, in violation of D.C. Code section 3221(b). The charge carries a maximum sentence of three years' imprisonment, a $12,500 fine, and three years of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for October 19.

According to court documents, Lee was a contract employee in the Human Capital section of the U.S. Government Publishing Office from March 2025 to March 2026, where she had no authority to issue or verify employment offers.

On at least 10 occasions, Lee used her government email account to send false offer letters on GPO letterhead to individuals seeking to rent apartments in the District, falsely representing that the recipients had been offered GPO positions with salaries ranging from about $85,500 to $207,500 a year.

When apartment management companies contacted Lee directly to verify the false employment claims, she confirmed them. At least one recipient used Lee's fraudulent letter to secure a lease at an apartment building in Southwest. Lee was paid by the scheme's beneficiaries.

The investigation was conducted by the D.C. Fraud Cell, Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations, Washington Field Office, and the U.S. Government Publishing Office, Office of Inspector General. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Deitch and Kevin Reddington.

26cr119