HUD's inspector general looking into Portsmouth Housing Authority, sources say

(RECAP: HUD’s inspector general, with the support of the FBI, is looking into the city’s housing authority, according to sources close to the situation. The Inspector General’s Office conducts audits, evaluations and investigations related to HUD programs and operations. One source says the inspector general is collecting information on the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s board and how it awarded a contract to the law firm Eric O. Moody and Associates P.C. Another source says the agency is looking into a potential conflict of interest between a board member and the law firm. They would speak only on the condition of anonymity. On Tuesday, Verbena Askew, an attorney for the authority, said there was a pending “criminal investigation,” but she wouldn’t say which agency was doing it. She said it didn’t involve the board.)