Orange County DA Probes Walden Housing Loans, Subpoenas Issued

The Orange County District Attorney's Office issued multiple subpoenas targeting the Village of Walden's Housing Rehabilitation Program, seeking loan records that could reveal whether public funds meant to help homeowners were instead steered toward rental properties and investment deals.

The subpoenas requested loan documents dating back to before December 2025, spanning several years of program activity. Investigators focused on whether certain participants were eligible for the program and whether the money was used as intended.

Sources identified a local real estate agent and members of his family as select participants under scrutiny, with questions about their eligibility for program loans and whether those funds were used appropriately. Investigators also examined actions taken by Village Manager John Revella while he oversaw and approved loans tied to the program. Revella, who also holds a seat as an elected Orange County legislator, did not respond to requests for comment.

Among the central allegations: that some loan recipients used program funds to acquire properties later converted into rentals or investment holdings, with some reportedly flipped for profit through a property management company, and that certain loans were never repaid.

The Housing Rehabilitation Program, administered by the village building department, offered loans at interest rates between zero and three percent to eligible homeowners with sufficient equity. The program was designed to fund repairs, improvements, and code-compliance work that homeowners might otherwise be unable to afford.

An additional dimension emerged with allegations that former village building inspector Robert Wallner deleted files from a village computer before leaving the post in January to take a job elsewhere.

The District Attorney's Office declined to comment. No charges have been filed, and no party has been found guilty of any wrongdoing. If prosecutors develop sufficient evidence, potential charges could include program fraud, falsifying records, or offenses related to the misuse of public funds.

Revella's concurrent role as a county legislator extends the probe's reach across two levels of local government, putting questions about oversight and auditing controls on small municipal lending programs directly before investigators.