Muskegon man gets 7-30 years in prison for pandemic relief fraud

A west Michigan man has been sentenced to seven years to 30 years in prison for defrauding the state of COVID-19 relief, officials announced Friday.

Aaron Pulsifer, 47, was also ordered by a Muskegon County Circuit Court judge to pay $124,050 in restitution to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, said officials with the agency, the Muskegon Police and the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office.

Pulsifer's sentencing hearing was held on March 30, according to court records.

Officials said his sentencing is the culmination of a yearlong investigation. After receiving a tip about alleged fraud, authorities began investigating Pulsifer, who at the time was employed by a Christian, nonprofit community development organization in Muskegon called Community enCompass.

"This latest prosecution should send a message to anyone who took funds away from those who needed it: we will find you, and you will be held accountable," said Jonathan Hilliker, director of the housing authority's Audit, Compliance, & Fraud Investigation Division, in a statement Friday.

Investigators alleged Pulsifer conspired with others to submit multiple fraudulent applications to the state's COVID Emergency Rental Assistance, or CERA, program, according to the release.

Established in 2021, the program helped renters in Michigan who were in arrears due to financial hardships caused by the pandemic. The program is closed but when it ran processed more than 307,000 applications and provided more than $983 million to help families avoid eviction, officials said.

"This program provided peace of mind to renters and landlords at a time when they needed it most," said Amy Hovey, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority's CEO and executive director. "We continue to work hard with state and local law enforcement partners to preserve the integrity of our programs, pursue all allegations of fraud, waste, or abuse, and recover any program funds obtained illegally."

In June 2023, Pulsifer pleaded guilty in circuit court to one count of false pretenses with intent to defraud someone of $100,000 or more, a 15-year felony, and one count of false pretenses with intent to defraud someone of $50,000 or more but less than $100,000, a 20-year felony.

Pulsifer's attorney did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.

A recording that answered the nonprofit's phone number Friday said the organization has closed for business after 30 years.

Pulsifer is currently lodged at the Charles E. Egeler Reception and Guidance Center in Jackson, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. He has a 2021 conviction for Medicaid fraud he committed in 2006, the department's records said.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

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