Whistleblower Lawsuit Targets VIHFA Leadership Over Alleged Mismanagement and Retaliation
Stephanie Berry, former COO of the V.I. Housing Finance Authority, alleges systemic failures, unauthorized financial practices, and retaliatory termination after raising concerns about HUD violations and misuse of funds.
2024-12-03 19:00:30 - VI News Staff
A wrongful termination lawsuit has been filed in the V.I. Superior Court this week by Stephanie Berry, former chief operating officer (COO) of the V.I. Housing Finance Authority. The lawsuit names VIHFA, along with its Executive Director Eugene Jones Jr. and former Interim Executive Director Dayna Clendenin, as defendants. Ms. Berry, who served from January 30, 2023, to October 7, 2024, alleges that her termination was retaliation for whistleblowing about internal procedural violations.
According to court documents, Ms. Berry's complaint highlights multiple instances of mismanagement within the Planning and Construction (P&C) division. She alleges that VIHFA had not facilitated new housing construction for over six years, despite accumulating $14 million from stamp tax legislation. Ms. Berry also claims P&C staff participated in procurement evaluation panels where they had prior involvement in creating project specifications—practices she flagged as conflicts of interest.