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A woman hired to work for the Department of Energy at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington state is now facing fraud and theft charges in federal court over a .
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Federal prosecutors allege Tamara Moland submitted fake documents created to qualify for a $30,000 bonus for relocating to the Tri-Cities area.
She pleaded innocent Thursday in Eastern Washington District U.S. Court.
Moland was living in Portland, Oregon, and worked for the U.S. Department of Labor before starting work in February 2024 for the Hanford DOE office in Richland as an equal employment opportunity counselor, according to a federal court document.
Under a relocation incentive she was offered, she was to receive the first $15,000 of the bonus upon starting work and establishing residency in the Tri-Cities area.
Within days of beginning the Hanford job she emailed a person who apparently was her son or daughter, asking them to “make up” a 90-day rental agreement for an address in West Richland, according to a court document.
The email said, “You are the landlord: Nina Townsend. Lease amount $2000. Will send lease template via text. Thanks.”
On March 4, 2024, Moland turned in a signed lease agreement to DOE, with the landlord listed as Nina Townsend of Benton City. It gave a lease address of 175 S. 39th St. in West Richland, according to court documents.
Moland stayed there for five days when she started the DOE job, but had no long-term rental agreement, according to the prosecution.
No one named Nina Townsend is affiliated with the West Richland property, which is owned by Corporate Stay, Ambience Holdings and AAA Renovation, according to a court document. And the Benton City address given for Townsend is a vacation rental, according to a court document.
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After Moland had worked for about a year at DOE, Moland’s supervisor told her in an email that she needed to provide proof that she had continued to reside in the Tri-Cities area to receive the remaining $15,000 of the relocation bonus.
Moland sent another note to the email address she had used to obtain a lease agreement when she started her Hanford job. The email asked for an update to the lease agreement with a new date. The email ended “Love, Mom,” according to a court document.
Moland submitted an updated lease agreement to DOE for the West Richland rental in April 2025 and received a second federal payment of $15,000, minus taxes withheld, later that month, according to a court document.
Moland is charged with four counts of wire fraud for the two bank transfers of the relocation bonus, plus the two rental agreements emailed to DOE, according to a court document.
She also is charged with two counts of theft of government money for the two relocation incentive payments she received.
The fraud charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and the theft charges are punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Moland is being represented in the case by a public defender.
DOE at Hanford no longer lists a phone number for her there.
This story was originally published October 26, 2026 at 5:38 PM with the headline “Email signed ‘Love, Mom’ cited in fraud case against federal worker hired at Washington nuclear site.”
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