A federal grand jury in Michigan has indicted four men–including a mortgage broker and an appraiser–for allegedly running a $1.9 million real estate/mortgage fraud scheme. Hassan Nagi, 30, of Dearborn Heights, Michigan; Ali Haidous, 24, of Dearborn; Safi Bzeih, 35, of Dearborn; and Hussein Aoun, 23, of Dearborn Heights reportedly conspired to secure fraudulent mortgages from Countrywide Bank, Washington Mutual, Fifth Third Bank, IndyMac Federal Bank, Net Bank, and Sun Trust for more than 15 properties between April 2005 and April 2008.

The indictment alleges that Hassan Nagi worked as a mortgage broker and was responsible for submitting false and fraudulent applications to obtain the mortgages. Ali Haidous was a real estate appraiser who provided fraudulent appraisals for the properties. Bzeih and Aoun recruited sellers and straw buyers for the properties.

According to the indictment, after the Nagi and Haidous identified a willing seller of a property, Nagi secured financing for a straw buyer. False income and employment information was provided to the lender using fraudulent W-2 forms. In support of each loan, Nagi also submitted an inflated appraisal, created by Haidous.

After the inflated mortgage was funded at closing, the seller received sufficient funds to pay off any existing mortgage as well as a bonus for participating in the real estate fraud scheme. The remainder of the proceeds from the inflated mortgage were shared between Hassan Nagi, Ali Haidous and one of the straw buyers.

Nagi, Haidous, and Bzeih were expected to appear in federal court before Magistrate Judge Virginia Morgan yesterday afternoon, for their initial appearances and arraignment on the indictment. Hussein Aoun is a fugitive in Lebanon. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonid Feller.