NJ Housing Director Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Over $544k from Senior and Disabled Facility

Elaine Benanti admitted to overpaying herself and others while managing HUD-funded Lydecker Manor between 2017 and 2021. 

The former managing director of a federally funded housing facility in Maywood, New Jersey, has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $544,000 in salary overpayments and unauthorized disbursements, federal officials announced.

Elaine Benanti, 69, of Garfield, entered her guilty plea on January 20, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court. Benanti admitted to violating federal embezzlement laws under Title 18, U.S. Code Section 666(a)(1)(A), which criminalizes theft from organizations receiving federal funds.

From approximately January 2017 to December 2021, Benanti served as the managing director of Lydecker Manor, a 136-unit residential facility operated by the Maywood Senior Citizens Housing Corporation (MSCHC). The facility provides housing to elderly individuals and residents with disabilities and receives substantial funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

In her role, Benanti oversaw daily operations, reported to HUD, supervised employees, and handled financial disbursements. According to court documents and her own statements, she exploited this authority to issue inflated salary, bonus, and retirement account payments to herself and at least four other employees—bypassing or disregarding the salary caps set by the facility’s Board of Trustees.

In 2021 alone, Benanti paid herself more than $40,000 above her authorized annual salary of $132,613. She also inflated her prior-year bonus by more than $2,500. Over the five-year period, she authorized excessive compensation for others and issued a supplemental insurance payment to a relative who was not employed by Lydecker Manor.

In total, Benanti admitted to embezzling approximately $544,289.95. As part of her plea agreement, she has agreed to forfeit the full amount.

The embezzlement charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for June 23, 2026.

The case was investigated by special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General. Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello credited the FBI’s Newark field office and HUD-OIG's Northeast Region with uncovering the scheme. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. McCarren of the Special Prosecutions Division is prosecuting the case.