Source: US FBI
WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Attorney Julianne E. Murray announced that on August 8, 2025, Karen D. Wilder, age 39, and her husband, Renwick L. Davis, age 49, of Dover, Delaware, pleaded guilty to theft of public funds for embezzling approximately $600,000 as employees of the Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing (“DIMH”), including federal funds awarded to DIMH to provide services to homeless individuals in Delaware. The Honorable U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Hall accepted the pleas.
According to court documents, between December 2021 and November 2023, Wilder, the former Executive Director of DIMH, and Davis, a Case Manager at DIMH, collectively embezzled approximately $600,000 from DIMH’s bank accounts through a variety of fraudulent means. The stolen funds included federal grant funds awarded to DIMH from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Treasury to provide essential services to individuals in Delaware who were homeless or at risk of homelessness, including emergency housing assistance and critical medical assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wilder withdrew cash from DIMH’s bank accounts purportedly to provide emergency housing assistance to homeless individuals or individuals at-risk of homelessness. Instead, she deposited the stolen cash directly into her own bank accounts. Wilder and Davis also worked together to deposit approximately $150,000 in DIMH funds directly into Davis’s personal bank account under the guise that those funds would be used to provide rental or mortgage assistance to individuals in need. The defendants spent the stolen funds on luxury goods, shopping, and travel, among other personal expenses. Wilder even directed DIMH funds to pay the mortgage on her personal residence.
“The defendants abused the trust of their positions and stole taxpayer dollars intended to provide essential services to Delaware’s most vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “The defendants’ greed deprived homeless individuals across southern Delaware of assistance they desperately needed. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer dollars and hold fraudsters who exploit government aid for personal gain accountable.”
“Wilder and Davis exploited their positions of trust to divert public funds away from the very individuals and families most in need,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). HUD OIG will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure justice for those harmed by this behavior.
“For years, Karen Wilder and Renwick Davis lived large on the taxpayer’s dime. Not only did they steal hundreds of thousands of dollars, but they prevented those who truly needed these resources from receiving help intended for them. As their guilty pleas show, the FBI and our partners will not tolerate corruption. We remain committed to identifying and pursuing those who violate the public’s trust,” stated FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno.
This case was jointly investigated by the HUD-OIG and FBI Baltimore Field Office’s Wilmington Resident Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William E. LaRosa is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. Case 25-CR-93 and 25-CR-94.