I raised all kinds of hell, the renewal hadn't been signed yet,  gave her the money back and videotaped her taking it as well as signing a receipt,  the police had to get involved to get her to move on her last day,  we gave her all of her deposit back despite about $250 in damages.  

@Chris GrenzigIn addition to vinyl plank mentioned in the posts above, I have clients who will finish (polish) a concrete slab and use it as interior flooring.

I think the only way you're getting those back is if you file a police report or threaten to.

Police were called but did virtually nothing.  

Contact the police or an adult protective services agency in her area to do a welfare check on her. 

Who polices these types of things for FHA what are the ramifications for buying a property with an FHA loan and never living it?

They are the ones who will cause trouble for you by complaining to the HOA and the police.

The funny part of the story is they hired a private eye and got the police looking for the bookkeeper, who was there when I installed the software so I know him by sight.

Sharad has some particularly good tips on identifying what neighborhoods you would want to invest in and checking in with the local police department duty sergeant with respect to crime statistics and desirability of areas. 

Post the fraud wire transfer, I filed a report with the FBI and the local police.