The Denver Housing Authority is investigating whether the family of a 10-year-old girl who was killed in a shootout in her apartment violated federal rules by allowing someone with a criminal record to live there, officials say.
The girl’s mother, Amanda Salas, was the only adult authorized to live in the home supported with federal HUD subsidies, according to Stella Madrid, spokeswoman for the Denver Housing Authority.
But according to family members, Leo J. Cisneros, 29, the father of 10-year-old shooting victim Auralia Cisneros, was also living there. Police are investigating whether possible drug dealing at the home may have sparked the shootout.
“He did not go through the (criminal background) filter,” Madrid said Wednesday of Leo Cisneros. “The head of the household is the female and she is the only one eligible to receive the payments.”
Cisneros has a criminal background, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records.
On Sept. 4, 1996, he was arrested at West High School on charges of illegal acts at a school and possession of marijuana, according to Denver County Court records. He pleaded guilty to the charges and served a jail sentence, according to court records.
He served a 28-day jail sentence in November of the same year for threats and destruction of property. In 2000, he was sentenced to 121 days in jail for an assault conviction.
Family members of Leo Cisneros admit marijuana was in the home, but they insist they were not dealing drugs.
An unauthorized adult with a criminal record living in the home would violate HUD rules in two ways — in determining the family’s financial needs and excluding most people with criminal records.
Under unusual circumstances, people with criminal records can qualify, said Is mael Guerrero, executive director of the Denver Housing Authority.
People who qualify for the Section 8 program pay 30 percent of their income for rent and HUD pays the rest, Guerrero said.
“Any violations we take very seriously,” Madrid said.
Families can be prosecuted for fraud or be terminated from the program, Guerrero said.
“This case is under investigation,” Madrid said. “We are working cooperatively with police on whether the family violated HUD rules.”
