Farrington is Last Defendant to be Sentenced in Case
U.S. Attorney’s Office June 02, 2011

DALLAS—Eric Rulack Farrington, 58, of Irving, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay to 132 months in federal prison for largely orchestrating a multi-million-dollar mortgage fraud scheme in the Dallas area, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Judge Lindsay also ordered that Farrington pay approximately $2.5 million in restitution and forfeit approximately $1.2 million to the U.S. Farrington and seven other defendants were convicted in April 2010, following a nearly two-month trial on various felony offenses related to the fraud scheme that they operated in the Dallas area from March 2002 until January 2006. He is the last defendant in this case to be sentenced and was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on September 6, 2011.

The jury convicted Farrington on all 32 counts of the superseding indictment, including: one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of bank fraud and aiding and abetting, 15 counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting, 10 counts of money laundering and aiding and abetting, and five counts of engaging in a monetary transaction with criminally derived property and aiding and abetting. Farrington was the president of Eric Farrington Seminars, Inc. and Prestige Capital Corporation, which did business as Farrington Mortgage Group. He was also a manager of EFC Investments, LLC, which did business as EFC Management Company. All were located in Dallas.

Farrington’s former fiancé, Janice Little Shepherd, 51, of Irving, Texas, a mortgage broker who did business as EFC Capital Mortgage Company, was sentenced yesterday by Judge Lindsay to five years in prison and ordered to pay $1,564,498 in restitution and forfeit approximately $1.2 million to the U.S. She was convicted at trial on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 11 counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting, and four counts of engaging in a monetary transaction with criminally derived property and aiding and abetting. She was also ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on September 6, 2011.

Other defendants convicted and sentenced in the scheme include:

Regis Lamont Williams, 45, of Dallas, was a Texas certified real estate appraiser who did business as Executive Certified Appraisal. He was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of bank fraoud and aiding and abetting, nine counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting, and five counts of engaging in a monetary transaction wtih criminally derived property and aiding and abetting. He was sentenced on April 28, 2011 to 46 months in prison and ordered to pay approximately $1 million in restitution and forfeit approximately $1.2 million to the U.S. In addition, the U.S. Attorney’s office will send a copy of his judgment order to the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board for whatever action they deem appropriate.
Kevin Ray Sanderson, 36, of Irving, Texas, was a business associate of Farrington and the vice president of Farco Construction, Inc., Dallas, which also did business as Farrington Mortgage Group. He was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, four counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting, and one count of money laundering. Earlier this week he was sentenced to 57 months in prison and ordered to pay $762,983 restitution, and forfeit approximately $1.2 million to the U.S.
James Edward Jones, 45, of Dallas, was a real estate agent. He was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting. On August 27, 2010, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $624,414 restitution and forfeit approximately $1.2 million to the U.S.
Edwin Terrence Bell, 44, of Fort Worth, Texas, was in the real estate management business and was the president of Togetherness, Inc. Bell also did business as The Togetherness Group and TTG, Inc. He was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, five counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting, and two counts of engaging in a monetary transaction with criminally derived property and aiding and abetting. On August 27, 2010, he was sentenced to 41 months in prison and ordered to pay $442,604 in restitution and forfeit approximately $1.2 million to the U.S.
Micheal (sic) Lewis Andrews, 51, of Plano, Texas, was chief executive officer of Second Chance Mortgage, Inc. and did business as 2nd Chance Mortgage. He was convicted on two counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting. He was sentenced last week to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay $108,659 in restitution.
Robert John Mason, 56, of Oak Leaf, Texas, was an employee of Prestige Capital Corporation. He was convicted of two counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting. He was sentenced in July 2010 to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $463,722 in restitution.

Prior to trial, Marcus Allen Parker, 36, of Rowlett, Texas, who was an associate of defendant Kevin Ray Sanderson, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced in July 2010 to three years’ probation.

The scheme was largely orchestrated by Farrington—a motivational speaker and author of a real estate book who had an infomercial on making money in real estate that ran on late night television. The defendants located single-family residences for sale in the Dallas area, including distressed and pre-foreclosure properties, and negotiated a sales price with the seller. They created surplus loan proceeds by inflating the sales price to an arbitrary amount substantially more than the fair market value of the residence, many times using inflated appraisals. In some cases, they would create a bogus outstanding mortgage lien to be discharged. They recruited individuals with high credit scores to act as borrowers and falsely represented to them that the property would be managed by the defendants and rented by a suitable tenant; that the mortgage, interest, taxes, insurance and property maintenance would be paid from the rental income; and the purchasers/borrowers would have no expenses. The borrowers had no intention to live in the property and did not have sufficient income to repay the loans. They said they relied on Farrington.

The defendants prepared and submitted fraudulent loan documents showing inflated incomes in the names of the borrowers and obtained loans in inflated amounts based on these fraudulent loan documents. Then they used the fraudulently obtained surplus loan proceeds to pay the sellers kickbacks, to conceal the fraud, and distributed the bulk of the proceeds among themselves. They would then allow the loan to go into foreclosure after a few payments were made on the loan.

Some of the residences used in the scheme include:

1420 Travis Circle South, Irving, Texas
6231 Azalea Lane, Dallas
7730 Cliffbrook Drive, Dallas
10907 Cinderella Lane, Dallas
7617 Arborgate Drive, Dallas
13735 Ashridge Drive, Dallas
6824 Winterwood Lane, Dallas
6840 Winterwood Lane, Dallas
6915 Winterwood Lane, Dallas
7012 Creek Bend Road, Dallas
1509 Appalachian Drive, Allen, Texas

Mortgage fraud is a major focus of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes. For more information about the task force visit: www.stopfraud.gov.

U.S. Attorney Jacks praised the investigative efforts of the FBI and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the cooperation of several state agencies including the Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending and the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Revesz and Walt Junker prosecuted the case.

Ira J. Pressman was charged today by information in connection with a Ponzi scheme that defrauded 20 investors out of more than $6 million, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. The charges include one count each of wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. The information alleges that since 2006, Pressman ran a company called PJI Distribution Corporation that purported to purchase and sell closeout and overstock merchandise. Pressman solicited individuals to invest in these closeout deals, promising investors no risk returns of up to 100 percent annually. Unbeknownst to the investors, however, most of these closeout merchandise deals were fictitious. Pressman instead used new investor’s money to pay returns to the old investors.

Information Regarding the Defendant
Name: Ira J. Pressman
Address: Bala Cynwyd, PA
Age or Year of Birth: 1947

If convicted of all charges, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 60 years in prison, a fine of $1 million, three years of supervised release, and a $300 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Leo R. Tsao and Special Assistant United States Attorney Steven Latzer.

DENVER—Philip R. Lochmiller, Jr. pled guilty yesterday afternoon to conspiracy to commit securities and mail fraud and money laundering, U.S. Attorney John Walsh, FBI Special Agent in Charge James Davis and IRS – Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Sigerson announced. Lochmiller, Jr. entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer. Judge Brimmer has not yet scheduled a sentencing hearing date for Lochmiller, Jr., although he did state that the sentencing hearing will take place in Grand Junction. The defendant appeared at the hearing free on a $100,000 unsecured bond.

According to the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, Valley Mortgage, Inc. was incorporated in Colorado in September 1994 by Philip Lochmiller, Sr. The company originally engaged in the business or originating or brokering home mortgages. Lochmiller, Jr. owed 100 percent of Valley Mortgage’s stock and was principal, officer and director. Lochmiller, Sr.’s stepson, Philip Lochmiller, Jr., joined Valley Mortgage in 1999 as a mortgage officer. Lochmiller, Sr. then changed the name to Valley Investments. Lochmiller, Jr. eventually worked his way to become responsible for day-to-day operations of the company. Beginning in 2000, Valley Mortgage entered into the “affordable housing” real estate market by buying vacant land or existing mobile home parks, entitling the land so residential subdivisions could be built, and then selling lots with either a mobile home or a manufactured home on it.

Valley Investments could not secure traditional sources of funding for their projects, primarily because Lochmiller, Sr. had a prior fraud conviction and a bankruptcy. Instead, the company often purchased land with financing provided by the sellers in a “owner-carry” arrangement. Valley Investments then began to advertise in local newspapers and solicit investment funds from the public. The company promised returns from 10 percent to 16 percent, and in some instances, as high as 18 percent. In exchange, investors were promised a promissory note and a recorded first “Deed of Trust” on individual lots. Investors were also promised that the lot values would be “verified by a licensed appraiser.” The advertisements and verbal representations by both of the Lochmillers characterized the investment as a “solid security” secured and recorded by a Deed of Trust in the investor’s name. Both of the Lochmillers represented to investors that Valley Investments used investor funds exclusively to acquire property and finance the development of the subdivisions Valley Investments owned. Both the Lochmillers further represented that Valley Investments generated large profits by selling manufactured homes together with lots within the subdivisions. Investors were not told about Lochmiller Sr.’s prior felony conviction or bankruptcy.

Between 2000 and 2005, Valley Investments acquired five properties purportedly to develop “affordable housing” subdivisions. Between 2000 and 2009, Valley Investments received over $30,000,000 from approximately 420 investor contracts. The government’s expert forensic accountants shows that this influx of investor funds kept Valley Investments operating, particularly in its later years, and without investor funding, Valley Investments would have failed. The government accounting analysis also determined that investor funds were used by both of the Lochmillers for purposes other than what investors were told. Further, incoming investor funds were used to make interest and principal payments to existing investors. Once investor money started coming into Valley Investments, the funds went to personal expenses, family expenses and other non-business expenditures. Lochmiller, Jr. then engaged in monetary transactions involving more than $10,000 of the proceeds of the fraud.

Valley Investments did not own sufficient property or assets to secure the investments as represented. Unbeknownst to investors, the amount of investment funds, which were supposed to be secured by real property, far exceeded the value of the encumbered property and the business assets. Valley Investments failed to file all of the Trust Deeds and behalf of investors as promised, and many of the filed Trust Deeds were not the first encumbrances on the properties named and were thus worthless. Despite these facts, the Lochmillers and Valley Investment employee Shawnee Carver continued to misrepresent to investors that the business was thriving, and never disclosed to new investors how their money was being used.

“In cases like this, where investment schemers who take people’s hard earned money—particularly their retirement money—on the basis of false promises and representations, federal law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will prosecute them aggressively,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “We will prosecute criminals who steal with the pen and the computer with the same vigor as we prosecute criminals who steal by other means.”

“This guilty plea reflects the tremendous dedication of our agents and the cumulative commitment of the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and IRS – Criminal Investigation to aggressively investigate and prosecute white collar criminals that prey on innocent victims,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge James Davis. “Our efforts will continue to focus on seeking justice on behalf of the more than 400 victims throughout Colorado that have experienced financial devastation as a result of their involvement with Valley Investments.”

“Defrauding investors is a serious offense and IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement partners to prosecute those who victimize clients,” said Christopher M. Sigerson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Denver Field Office.

Lochmiller, Jr. faces not more than five years’ imprisonment, and up to a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to commit securities and mail fraud. He faces not more than 10 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine, or twice the amount of the criminally derived property, for money laundering. Accordingly, in total, Lochmiller, Jr. faces not more than 15 years’ imprisonment, up to a $500,000 fine, or twice the amount derived from the crimes.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Heldmyer and Pegeen Rhyne.

This prosecution is part of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

SALT LAKE CITY—A detention hearing is set for 11:15 a.m. Wednesday in federal court for John S. Dudley, age 56, of Sandy, charged last week in a 17-count indictment with money laundering and wire and bank fraud in connection with an alleged Ponzi scheme. Wednesday’s hearing will be before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Warner.

Dudley had an initial appearance Friday following his arrest on the indictment. He entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. A status conference has been set for Aug. 8, 2011 at 9:15 a.m. The case is being investigated by the special agents of the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation. Anyone who believes they might be a victim of the scheme alleged in this indictment should call the FBI in Salt Lake City at 801-579-1400.

According to the indictment, Dudley devised a scheme to induce individuals to invest money with him for use in various investment programs, including a foreign exchange trading program, mining speculation, European and domestic stock options and commodity trading, and a human jetpack rocket suit. In January 2007, Dudley began to solicit investors at investment club meetings, sometimes called “bounce nights” or “Tashi group meetings,” in Salt Lake County by representing himself as an experienced and successful investor and describing his investment programs to prospective investors.

The indictment alleges Dudley made a variety of false representations to potential investors, including telling them they could expect monthly returns of 5-10 percent; that he had not suffered a trading loss since 1978; that investors’ funds would be used exclusively for investment purposes; that he had personally done very well in his investments and had never made less than 5 percent per month over the last 30 years; that investors’ money was backed by a “senior life settlement policy” that reduced or eliminated investors’ risk of loss; and that investing with him was an exclusive opportunity with only a limited number of investors allowed to invest with him at one time.

According to the indictment, Dudley advised prospective investors on how to engage in a process he called “equity mining” to borrow money from banks to invest with him. Using this process, he told individuals they could purchase luxury items, such as homes or boats, which would pay for themselves. Using the scheme, individuals would obtain financing from a bank for more than the sale price of the item and then invest the remainder of the loan proceeds in an investment offering that guaranteed a 10 percent return each month.

The indictment alleges Dudley used new investors’ money to pay old investors’ returns in a scheme commonly referred to as a ponzi scheme. Virtually all of the investors’ money was used by Dudley to either pay “returns” to other investors or for his own personal use, including the purchase of two homes—a $1.5 million home in Sandy and a $860,327.63 home in Riverton; a down payment of $28,978.31 for a ski boat; and to pay for meals, airline tickets, and gifts for his family.

Around 75 to 100 investors gave Dudley more than $12 million from about January 2007 to March 2010, the indictment alleges.

The potential penalty for each of the 10 counts of wire fraud in the indictment is 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Bank fraud, charged in two counts, carries a potential penalty of 30 years per count and a $1 million fine. The maximum potential penalty for each of the five money laundering counts is 10 years and a fine of $250,000.

Indictments are not findings of guilt. Individuals charged in indictments are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.

TAMPA, FL—U.S. Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces that U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced Sang Min Kim, a/k/a Sonny Kim (37, Tampa) to 41 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire, mail, and bank fraud and money laundering in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme. As part of his sentence, the court entered a money judgment in the amount of $5,826,778.65, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.

Kim pleaded guilty on June 29, 2010. According to court documents, from about January 2005 through October 2008, Kim engaged in numerous residential real estate transactions in the Middle District of Florida, primarily in Hillsborough County, at least 48 of which involved fraud and resulted in losses of approximately $5,826,778.65.

Kim purchased residential properties as an “investor” with the intention of “flipping” the properties in subsequent sales. Kim’s co-conspirators identified the properties he purchased, usually at market value, by accepting quit claim deeds from the sellers. Frequently, Kim’s co-conspirators also identified the “buyers” to whom he flipped the properties. Kim’s buyers’ mortgage loan applications typically included the false claim that they intended to occupy the properties they were purchasing, when in fact they never intended to purchase Kim’s properties as places to live. Moreover, Kim’s buyers made no genuine financial commitment of funds to their purchase transactions. The buyers’ stated down payments were fictitious because the funds used to make the down payments were either provided by Kim or another, or the buyer used his or her own money and was subsequently reimbursed by Kim who used loan proceeds to do so. The “buyers” were motivated to participate in these transactions by the fact that they were being paid to assume the role of “purchaser.”

As a part of the fraud scheme, Kim used appraisers whom he knew would “come in higher” on appraised values. He also regularly provided a title agent with additional compensation in the form of “side commissions” in exchange for expediting closings. Kim was aware that at least one mortgage broker created false W-2 forms to document a prospective borrower’s stated income. Kim was also aware that his company, SK Investment Group, LLC, was used to provide false employment verifications for other fraudulent transactions from which he did not directly benefit. Kim was also aware that one or more mortgage brokers, through whom he conducted his purchase/sales transactions, made up fictitious income and false assets that were inserted on prospective buyers’ loan applications. Kim was assisted in his fraudulent purchase/sales transactions by persons employed by federally insured financial institutions. Those persons were aware that Kim, as the seller, received a portion of funds derived from equity lines of credit acquired by his buyers.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle DesVaux Bedke.

WASHINGTON—Ronald Johannes Sneijder, 48, a former owner of a title and escrow company based in the District of Columbia, pled guilty today to the lead count in a recently filed indictment, bank fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

Sneijder, of Herndon, Virginia, entered his guilty plea today before the Honorable Alan Kay in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He also agreed to forfeiture of $1,256,000. He is to be sentenced later this summer or fall by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan. Sneijder faces a probable sentence under the sentencing guidelines of 30 to 37 months of incarceration, restitution in the amount of $1,256,000, a fine, and other conditions.

The indictment against Sneijder was returned by a grand jury on May 13, 2011 and unsealed last week.

According to the statement of offense, signed by the defendant, Sneijder was the manager and majority owner of a title and escrow company known as Red Box Settlements, located in the 1600 block of U Street NW, Washington, D.C. On about January 13, 2004, Sneijder purchased a residence at 1325 Independence Avenue SE. About a month later, he refinanced the loan through Wells Fargo Bank, obtaining a home equity line of credit with a maximum credit limit of up to $575,000.

In February 2005, the defendant sought a $581,000 refinance loan from First Savings Mortgage Corporation, using as collateral his house at 1325 Independence Avenue SE, which was already encumbered with the home equity line of credit from Wells Fargo. First Savings Mortgage Corporation approved the loan on the condition that the Wells Fargo line of credit would be paid off and closed and the lien in the public record be “released” so that no additional money could be borrowed on the Wells Fargo line of credit, and so that there would be no other loans that would take precedence over the First Savings Mortgage Corporation loan.

After settlement, Sneijder paid off the Wells Fargo line of credit but did not close it. Thereafter, from March 2005 to November 2006, he again borrowed money against the Wells Fargo line of credit. He obtained cash advances up to approximately $558,000 by the end of November 2006.

In May 2006, Red Box Settlements handled a real estate closing for a client identified in these proceedings as R.K. As part of the settlement, Red Box received approximately $396,000 as the sales proceeds into its escrow exchange account held in trust for R.K. However, from May 2006 to November 2006, the defendant took approximately $216,000 from the escrow exchange account to pay his personal and business expenses without permission and authority of R.K. Then, in November 2006, R.K. purchased another home and asked for the release of his money from the escrow exchange account; however, Red Box Settlements did not have sufficient funds in its escrow exchange account to honor the full demand and was unable to remit R.K.’s portion, that is, about $313,000, directly to him.

Later in November 2006, Sneijder sought a $675,000 loan from Wachovia Bank using as collateral 1325 Independence Avenue SE, which was already encumbered with the Wells Fargo home equity line of credit and the First Savings Mortgage Corporation loan. Wachovia approved the loan on the condition that the Wells Fargo line of credit would be paid, closed, and the Recorder of Deeds be notified of the closure so that no additional money could be borrowed on the Wells Fargo line of credit. The defendant paid down less than half of the line of credit, and again failed to close the Wells Fargo account. From January to August 2007, Sneijder again continued to borrow money against the Wells Fargo line of credit for a total amount due and owing of approximately $573,000.

Sneijder failed to repay the approximate $573,000 Wells Fargo line of credit, the $581,000 First Savings Mortgage Corporation loan, and the $675,000 Wachovia loan, resulting in foreclosure of 1325 Independence Avenue SE, the proceeds of which were insufficient in value to repay the approximate $1,829,000 loaned to the defendant.

In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen and Assistant Director in Charge McJunkin commended the work of those who investigated the matter for the FBI’s Washington Field Office, including Special Agents and Forensic Accountants. They also cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Diane Hayes and Sarah Reis, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Friedman. Finally they acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who is prosecuting the case along with the office’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section.

Defendants Targeted Low-Income Buyers, Falsely Inflated Buyer Assets In Loan Applications

SAN JOSE—A federal grand jury in San Jose indicted Norma Valdovinos, Claudia Valdovinos, Linda Dung Tran, Elaine “Queenie” Ly, and Pablo Curiel, of San Jose, California, and Jesus Chavez, of Gilroy, California on May 11, 2011, with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and making a false statement to a bank, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced yesterday. Norma Valdovinos and Linda Tran were also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering. According to the indictment, the defendants ran a multi-million-dollar mortgage fraud scheme, fraudulently inducing banks to extend millions of dollars in loans to unqualified buyers, while the defendants pocketed over one million dollars in real-estate and mortgage commissions for themselves.

According to the 32-count indictment, from 2004 through August 2007, Ms. Norma Valdovinos, age 45, and Chavez, age 52, were real estate agents with Century 21 Golden Hills Real Estate and solicited primarily low-income home buyers to purchase homes, typically single-family residences, usually priced in excess of $500,000. They knew that the borrowers they solicited had insufficient incomes and assets to qualify for the mortgages they needed in order to buy the properties.

The indictment further alleges that Norma Valdovinos and Chavez referred their clients to Palacio Mortgage, owned by Linda Tran, age 33, knowing that Palacio Mortgage would falsely inflate and misrepresent the borrowers’ income, assets, and employment information so as to enable the borrowers to qualify for the loan or loans needed to buy a property. Linda Tran and “Queenie” Ly, age 32, with the assistance of Claudia Valdovinos, age 27, falsified the borrowers’ income, assets, employment, and the source of the borrowers’ down payments in the Uniform Residential Loan Applications (“URLAs”) they submitted to the banks. Tran and Ly also submitted false documents such as fake bank statements and letters from tax preparers falsely stating that the buyer owned his or her own business. The Palacio Mortgage defendants also made many of the same misrepresentations on behalf of borrowers seeking to refinance existing mortgages.

According to the indictment, Linda Tran also arranged for Pablo Curiel, age 71, to secretly provide funds for the down payment required on the borrowers’ loans, without the banks’ knowledge. This scheme resulted in upwards of $40 million in loans being provided to buyers that, but for the defendants’ fraud, would not have been loaned.

This indictment is the fifth indictment brought in this investigation, resulting in a total of 10 defendants that have been charged to date. In late 2010, the United States separately charged Lita Delara, 10-00465 JF, Guadalupe Perez Nieto, 10-00842 JF, John Nguyen, 10-00467 JF, and Zosimo Reyes, 10-00468 JF, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 849.

Norma Valdovinos, Claudia Valdovinos, and “Queenie” Ly were arrested on May 18, 2011, in San Jose, California, and made their initial appearances in federal court in San Jose that same day. Each was released on bond. Norma Valdovinos’ bond was set at $125,000, Claudia Valdovinos’ bond at $50,000, and Ly’s bond at $75,000. Chavez, Tran, and Curiel are expected to make their initial appearances before The Honorable Howard Lloyd, United States Magistrate Judge, on May 26, 2011, at 1:30 a.m.

The maximum statutory penalty for count one, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349, and counts two through 11, bank fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344, is 30 years’ imprisonment, a $1 million fine, and restitution; for counts 12 through 21, making a false statement to a bank, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1014, is 30 years’ imprisonment, a $1 million fine, and restitution; count 22, conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h), is 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $500,000 fine (or twice the gross gain or gross loss), and restitution; counts 23 through 28, engaging in monetary transactions using criminally derived property, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957, is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine (or twice the amount of the criminally derived property involved in the transaction), and restitution; and counts 29 through 32, money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(1)(A)(i) and (B)(i), is 20 years’ imprisonment, $500,000 fine (or twice the gross gain or gross loss), and restitution. The United States is also seeking the forfeiture of defendants’ real property and other assets derived from their fraudulent scheme. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Grant Fondo and David Callaway are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kamille Singh and Jeanne Carstensen. The prosecution is the result of a three-year investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.

Please note, an indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, Norma Valdovinos, Claudia Valdovinos, Jesus Chavez, Linda Dung Tran, Elaine “Queenie” Ly, and Pablo Curiel must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defendants Targeted Low-Income Buyers, Falsely Inflated Buyer Assets In Loan Applications

SAN JOSE—A federal grand jury in San Jose indicted Norma Valdovinos, Claudia Valdovinos, Linda Dung Tran, Elaine “Queenie” Ly, and Pablo Curiel, of San Jose, California, and Jesus Chavez, of Gilroy, California on May 11, 2011, with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and making a false statement to a bank, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced yesterday. Norma Valdovinos and Linda Tran were also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering. According to the indictment, the defendants ran a multi-million-dollar mortgage fraud scheme, fraudulently inducing banks to extend millions of dollars in loans to unqualified buyers, while the defendants pocketed over one million dollars in real-estate and mortgage commissions for themselves.

According to the 32-count indictment, from 2004 through August 2007, Ms. Norma Valdovinos, age 45, and Chavez, age 52, were real estate agents with Century 21 Golden Hills Real Estate and solicited primarily low-income home buyers to purchase homes, typically single-family residences, usually priced in excess of $500,000. They knew that the borrowers they solicited had insufficient incomes and assets to qualify for the mortgages they needed in order to buy the properties.

The indictment further alleges that Norma Valdovinos and Chavez referred their clients to Palacio Mortgage, owned by Linda Tran, age 33, knowing that Palacio Mortgage would falsely inflate and misrepresent the borrowers’ income, assets, and employment information so as to enable the borrowers to qualify for the loan or loans needed to buy a property. Linda Tran and “Queenie” Ly, age 32, with the assistance of Claudia Valdovinos, age 27, falsified the borrowers’ income, assets, employment, and the source of the borrowers’ down payments in the Uniform Residential Loan Applications (“URLAs”) they submitted to the banks. Tran and Ly also submitted false documents such as fake bank statements and letters from tax preparers falsely stating that the buyer owned his or her own business. The Palacio Mortgage defendants also made many of the same misrepresentations on behalf of borrowers seeking to refinance existing mortgages.

According to the indictment, Linda Tran also arranged for Pablo Curiel, age 71, to secretly provide funds for the down payment required on the borrowers’ loans, without the banks’ knowledge. This scheme resulted in upwards of $40 million in loans being provided to buyers that, but for the defendants’ fraud, would not have been loaned.

This indictment is the fifth indictment brought in this investigation, resulting in a total of 10 defendants that have been charged to date. In late 2010, the United States separately charged Lita Delara, 10-00465 JF, Guadalupe Perez Nieto, 10-00842 JF, John Nguyen, 10-00467 JF, and Zosimo Reyes, 10-00468 JF, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 849.

Norma Valdovinos, Claudia Valdovinos, and “Queenie” Ly were arrested on May 18, 2011, in San Jose, California, and made their initial appearances in federal court in San Jose that same day. Each was released on bond. Norma Valdovinos’ bond was set at $125,000, Claudia Valdovinos’ bond at $50,000, and Ly’s bond at $75,000. Chavez, Tran, and Curiel are expected to make their initial appearances before The Honorable Howard Lloyd, United States Magistrate Judge, on May 26, 2011, at 1:30 a.m.

The maximum statutory penalty for count one, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349, and counts two through 11, bank fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344, is 30 years’ imprisonment, a $1 million fine, and restitution; for counts 12 through 21, making a false statement to a bank, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1014, is 30 years’ imprisonment, a $1 million fine, and restitution; count 22, conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h), is 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $500,000 fine (or twice the gross gain or gross loss), and restitution; counts 23 through 28, engaging in monetary transactions using criminally derived property, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957, is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine (or twice the amount of the criminally derived property involved in the transaction), and restitution; and counts 29 through 32, money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(1)(A)(i) and (B)(i), is 20 years’ imprisonment, $500,000 fine (or twice the gross gain or gross loss), and restitution. The United States is also seeking the forfeiture of defendants’ real property and other assets derived from their fraudulent scheme. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Grant Fondo and David Callaway are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kamille Singh and Jeanne Carstensen. The prosecution is the result of a three-year investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.

Please note, an indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, Norma Valdovinos, Claudia Valdovinos, Jesus Chavez, Linda Dung Tran, Elaine “Queenie” Ly, and Pablo Curiel must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

SACRAMENTO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that Garret Griffith Gililland III, 29, and Nicole Magpusao, 31, both formerly of Chico and now in federal custody, pleaded guilty this afternoon before Senior United States District Judge Edward J. Garcia. Gililland pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of money laundering. Magpusao pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.

According to court documents, Gililland and Magpusao were originally charged in 2008 on mail fraud and other charges relating to a multi-million-dollar “builder bailout” mortgage fraud scheme in Chico. They were successfully extradited back to the United States following their flight to Spain. Sentencing for Gililland is scheduled for October 28, 2011. Sentencing for Magpusao is scheduled for July 22, 2011. Both remain in federal custody pending sentencing.

This case is the product of a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and the Butte County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Russell L. Carlberg is prosecuting the case.

In his plea hearing today in district court, Gililland admitted that he and others originated approximately $21 million in fraudulent loans, causing losses to lenders of more than $4 million. Gililland also admitted that he recruited buyers to buy homes at artificially inflated prices. He admitted to falsifying documents to qualify the buyers for the loans. Gililland admitted to scheming with Chico builders Tony Symmes, William Baker, and others, to execute the fraud scheme. He also admitted to coordinating loan application fraud with employees of a mortgage brokerage in Sylmar and with co-defendant Leonard Williams, a licensed real estate agent. The loan application fraud included falsifying employment history, inflating income, and providing false verifications of income and employment to lenders.

“This is a very significant plea in an ongoing investigation of mortgage fraud involving subjects located throughout California and other states,” said U.S. Attorney Wagner. “We are very pleased with the dedication and skillful work of the FBI and IRS-CI case agents as well as the investigators from Butte County. Cases of this magnitude require a team effort, and that is what we have seen here.”

Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey said, “We are very pleased to hear that Gililland has finally admitted his guilt in this long, complex, and torturous investigation. It was a model of state-federal cooperation in investigating fraud and bringing this man to justice. The U.S. Attorney, FBI, IRS-CI, and my investigators worked shoulder-to-shoulder on all aspects of this case for several years.” Ramsey added, “Gililland and others in his organization did incalculable damage to the mortgage industry and the housing market. He and others like him contributed to the largest downturn in our country’s economy since the Great Depression.”

Other significant pleas in this investigation include those of Anthony G. Symmes, 60, of Paradise; Shane Burreson, 38, of Orland, the president of Nor Cal Innovative Investments Inc.; Carlos Chamorro, 39, of Southern California, an unlicensed mortgage broker; and Christopher Chiavola, 32, of Chico. Remaining defendants include William Baker, 65 of Chico; Leonard Williams, 49, of Sacramento; Brandon Resendez, 32, of Chico; Kesha Haynie, 39, of Chico, a licensed real estate professional; and Remy Heng, 31, of Elk Grove. Trial of the remaining defendants is scheduled for September 12, 2011. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The maximum statutory penalty for mail fraud is 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. The maximum statutory penalty for money laundering is 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is part of the work being done by President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF). President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes. One component of the FFETF is the national Mortgage Fraud Working Group, co-chaired by U.S. Attorney Wagner. For more information on the task force, visit StopFraud.gov.

Case Involves More Than $1.8 Million in Loans

WASHINGTON—Ronald Johannes Sneijder, 48, a former owner of a title and escrow company based in the District of Columbia, has been indicted on federal charges relating to mortgage fraud. The total amount of loans was approximately $1,829,000.

The indictment, which was unsealed today, was returned May 13, 2011 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

Sneijder, of Herndon, Va., was indicted on charges of bank fraud, wire fraud, first degree fraud, and theft. The indictment also includes a forfeiture count seeking all proceeds from the defendant’s crimes. If convicted, under the federal sentencing guidelines, he faces a potential sentence of between 46 and 57 months of incarceration.

According to the indictment, Sneijder was the manager and majority owner of a title and escrow company known as Red Box Settlements, located in the 1600 block of U Street NW, Washington, D.C.

On about January 13, 2004, Sneijder purchased a residence at 1325 Independence Avenue SE. About a month later, he refinanced the loan through Wells Fargo Bank, obtaining a home equity line of credit with a maximum credit limit of up to $575,000.

In February 2005, the defendant sought a $581,000 refinance loan from First Savings Mortgage Corporation, using as collateral his house at 1325 Independence Avenue SE, which was already encumbered with the home equity line of credit from Wells Fargo. First Savings Mortgage Corporation approved the loan on the condition that the Wells Fargo line of credit would be paid off and closed and the lien in the public record be “released” so that no additional money could be borrowed on the Wells Fargo line of credit, and so that there would be no other loans that would take precedence over the First Savings Mortgage Corporation loan.

After settlement, Sneijder paid off the Wells Fargo line of credit but did not close it. Thereafter, from March 2005 to November 2006, he again borrowed money against the Wells Fargo line of credit. He obtained cash advances up to approximately $558,000 by the end of November 2006.

The indictment further alleges that in November 2006, Sneijder sought a $675,000 loan from Wachovia Bank using as collateral 1325 Independence Avenue SE, which was already encumbered with the Wells Fargo home equity line of credit and the First Savings Mortgage Corporation loan. Wachovia approved the loan on the condition that the Wells Fargo line of credit would be paid, closed, and the Recorder of Deeds be notified of the closure so that no additional money could be borrowed on the Wells Fargo line of credit. The defendant paid down less than half of the line of credit, and again failed to close the Wells Fargo account. From January to August 2007, Sneijder again continued to borrow money against the Wells Fargo line of credit for a total amount due and owing of approximately $573,000.

According to the indictment, Sneijder failed to repay the approximate $573,000 Wells Fargo line of credit, the $581,000 First Savings Mortgage Corporation loan, and the $675,000 Wachovia loan, resulting in foreclosure of 1325 Independence Avenue SE, the proceeds of which were insufficient in value to repay the approximate $1,829,000 loaned to the defendant.

The indictment further alleges that the defendant took about $216,000 from client escrowed money from May to November 2006.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Machen and Assistant Director in Charge McJunkin commended the work of those who investigated the matter for the FBI’s Washington Field Office, including special agents and forensic accountants. They also cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Diane Hayes and Sarah Reis, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Friedman. Finally they acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who is prosecuting the case along with the office’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section.

NEWARK, NJ—A West Orange, NJ ., man who owned and operated multiple foreclosure rescue companies admitted today to his role in a mortgage fraud scheme that defrauded numerous mortgage lenders of over $10 million, United States Attorney Paul J Fishman announced. Ronald Harris Jr, 41, of Piscataway, NJ ., pleaded guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz to an information charging him with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Judge Shwartz recommended to United States District Judge Faith S Hochberg that his plea of guilty be accepted and entered. According to documents filed in this case and statements made during Harris’ guilty plea proceeding: Harris owned and operated Harris Capital and Skyline Capital Group, both of which held themselves out as foreclosure rescue companies and operated out of offices in Newark and later, Maplewood, NJ.

Harris admitted that he and other individuals, including Harris Capital employee Sterling Bruce, 37, of Newark, fraudulently promised to help homeowners avoid foreclosure, keep their homes, and repair their damaged credit by directing the homeowners to allow title to their homes to be put in the names of third party purchasers, or straw buyers, for approximately six month to one year. Harris told the homeowners that during that time period, he and others would help them obtain more favorable mortgages and improve their credit ratings. The homeowners were told that the titles to their homes would be returned to them. After the homeowners were signed up, Harris, Bruce, and others recruited individuals with good credit scores to act as straw buyers of the distressed properties.

The straw buyers were told that they were helping someone save his or her home and that they would make money when they sold the property back to the current owner after approximately one year. Once the distressed homeowners and straw buyers were in place, Harris, Bruce, Pia Perkinson, 39, of Parlin, NJ.—a mortgage loan officer at a number of different mortgage loan companies—and others caused loan applications to be sent in the straw buyers’ names to mortgage lenders. To increase the credit-worthiness of the straw buyers and to ensure that they would be approved for the loans, Harris, Bruce, Perkinson, and others submitted loan applications containing material false personal and financial information about the straw buyers, such as misstating their employment, income, and assets. For example, many of the straw buyers’ loan applications falsely stated that they worked for one of Harris’ companies making a substantial salary.

Harris would also regularly submit fraudulent supporting documents with the loan applications to support the false statements, such as fake employment records and fake investment account statements. Prior to the closings of these fraudulent transactions, Harris and Bruce regularly filed fraudulent liens for tens of thousands of dollars on the properties. At the closings of the transactions, the liens would be paid off with the proceeds of the fraudulently obtained loans and Harris and Bruce would enrich themselves. Harris admitted that he regularly laundered these loan proceeds through various bank accounts he controlled.

In total, Harris and his co-conspirators caused lenders to fund dozens of fraudulent loans that totaled more than $10 million. Of that amount, Harris received approximately $1,145,993. The wire fraud conspiracy count to which Harris pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. The money laundering conspiracy count carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Sentencing is currently scheduled for September 13, 2011. Bruce previously pleaded guilty before Judge Shwartz to one count of wire fraud conspiracy relating to his role in the mortgage foreclosure rescue scheme. He is currently scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Hochberg on September 12, 2011. Perkinson also previously pleaded guilty before Judge Shwartz to one count of wire fraud conspiracy.

During her guilty plea, Perkinson admitted to submitting fraudulent loan applications to various lenders, as well as taking out at least two fraudulent loans herself. A sentencing date has not yet been determined. Sabir Muhammad, 47, of South Plainfield, NJ ., was charged along with Harris in the initial complaint, and the charges against him remain pending. United States Attorney Fishman credited postal inspectors of the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Thomas E Boyle; special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B Ward; and special agents of the IRS, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Victor W Lessoff, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew E Beck and Aaron Mendelsohn of the United States Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. The charges contained in the complaint against Muhammad are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. This case was brought in coordination with President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.

The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes. Defense counsel: Alan D Bowman Esq ., Newark

Reported by: FBI

INDIANAPOLIS—Jerry J. Jaquess, Indianapolis, age 67, was sentenced to 30 months in prison late yesterday by Chief Judge David F. Hamilton for his participation in a large mortgage fraud scheme in the Indianapolis area, announced Timothy M. Morrison, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. Jaquess plead guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Today’s sentencing follows a lengthy investigation conducted by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division and investigators for the United States Attorney’s Office, with assistance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Eight other individuals have been charged in the schemes and those cases are currently pending before Judge Hamilton. The investigation is continuing as to other individuals who were involved in the mortgage fraud schemes.

Jaquess owned and operated Homevestors LLC, a company involved in the development and construction of new real estate properties, as well as the purchase and sale of existing residential real estate properties. As part of the mortgage fraud schemes, Jaquess and other individuals entered into contracts to purchase 186 duplexes in the Windsor Village neighborhood, located near Arlington Avenue and 21st Street, on the east side of Indianapolis. These properties were all owned by one person, thru various land trusts. Jaquess and others negotiated with this individual to purchase all of the duplexes at a price of $50,000.00 each (the last group of these properties actually sold for $60,000.00).

Jaquess used his company Homevestors to negotiate the purchase and sale of the first 11 Windsor Village properties. On each of the properties, Jaquess entered into a land contract (and other documents) immediately preceding the closing, showing that Homevestors LLC was purchasing the property from the owner for $50,000.00. He also entered into agreements to sell the properties to investors for $120,000.00 each. In early February 2005, prior to the first purchase agreements ever being finalized, Jaquess, or individuals associated with him, caused three of the Windsor Village properties to be listed on the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service (MLS) showing a list price of $120,000.00. Jaquess did not own the properties at the time they were listed and did not even enter into land contracts to purchase these properties (for $50,000.00 each) until mid-March 2005. These properties were the first three Windsor Village properties closed (on March 17, 2005). A few days after these properties closed, Jaquess and his associates caused these three sales (at $120,000.00 apiece) to be placed on the MLS. This allowed Jaquess and other individuals involved in the scheme to show these three properties as comparables on appraisals to be prepared for all of the remaining Windsor Village properties, thus making it appear that each of those properties were worth $120,000.00. Jaquess attended the closings as the seller of the properties, and generally also took the buyer (investor) down payment check to the closings. Jaquess signed the loan closing documents on behalf of Homevestors LLC, including the false HUD-1 Settlement Statements, showing that the investors were providing the down payments, which he knew to be untrue. After the closing, Jaquess received checks to Homevestors LLC for the amount of the fraudulent loan proceeds (generally more than $70,000.00 per property). Jaquess then caused Homevestors LLC to issue checks disbursing the fraudulent loan proceeds. Included in these checks were payments totaling approximately $42,000.00 payable to Jaquess personally, or a family member of his, as well as checks to repay the individuals “fronting” the down payment (plus $1,000.00 – $3,000.00 fee) and checks to pay the investors $4,000.00 for each property purchased.

According to Assistant U. S. Attorney Susan Heckard Dowd, who prosecuted the case for the government, Judge Hamilton ordered Jaquess to serve three years on supervised release following his 30 months of incarceration and also ordered him to pay $824,614.33 in restitution to Homecomings Financial and Argent Mortgage Company.

Two Co-Defendants, Stephen Scott Brown and Tamara E. Scott, Sentenced to 37 Months and 24 Months

INDIANAPOLIS—Robert Andrew Penn, 44, formerly of Indianapolis, was sentenced to seven years in prison late yesterday by Circuit Judge David F. Hamilton for Penn’s part in a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme in the Indianapolis area. Penn had entered guilty pleas to charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and money laundering. Co-defendant Tamara E. Scott, age 50, Indianapolis, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and co-defendant Stephen Scott Brown, age 37, Indianapolis, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

These sentencings follow a lengthy investigation conducted by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A total of nine individuals have been charged in these schemes. Jerry Jaquess and Timothy Brown were previously sentenced to 30 months and 37 months in prison, respectively, and the remaining cases are currently pending before Circuit Judge Hamilton. The investigation is continuing as to other individuals who were involved in the mortgage fraud schemes.

Between November 2003 and August 2005, at least 136 fraudulent loans, totaling $16,613,850.00, were obtained by Penn and his numerous business entities, assisted by Scott Brown, and others. The loans were obtained from Argent Mortgage Company, The MoneyStation, and People’s Choice Mortgage / Countrywide Home Loans. Penn accepted responsibility for all 136 of these loans.

Penn and his associates owned and operated numerous business entities which were created and used to illegally obtain loans on residential real estate properties in the Indianapolis area. Penn controlled and directed the activities of the other people involved in the illegal activities. Scott was married to Penn during the commission of all of the mortgage fraud crimes, and was involved in the business activities of most of the entities used to purchase, sell and manage properties in the fraudulent transactions. Brown was involved in the mortgage brokerage business and assisted in brokering many of the loans with Argent Mortgage Company and The MoneyStation.

Of the 136 fraudulent loans charged, 39 loans related to the purchase of properties from individual sellers, generally individuals who either did not have their homes listed to sell, or had them listed as “for sale by owner.” These loans totaled over $7,000,000.00 and were all issued by Argent Mortgage Company.

The remaining 97 fraudulent loan transactions charged all relate to the sale of duplexes in the Windsor Village neighborhood, located near Arlington Avenue and 21st Street, on the east side of Indianapolis. These loans totaled over $9,312,000.00 and were funded by Argent Mortgage Company, The MoneyStation and by People’s Choice Mortgage, a warehouse lender in Kentucky who had a correspondent lending agreement with Countrywide Home Loans in California. Countrywide Home Loans purchased all of these loans shortly after they were funded. All of the loans involved in the schemes went into default, and the lenders either foreclosed on the homes or took other action, including granting deeds in lieu of foreclosure or allowing short sales of the properties.

Scott’s involvement in the business included attending closings and signing fraudulent documents, receiving checks for fraudulent loan proceeds, depositing those checks to corporate bank accounts, obtaining cashiers’ checks to pay co-conspirators, and directing others in the disbursements to be made from the corporations. As part of the Windsor Village transactions, Scott, at Penn’s direction, added the names of investors to bank accounts of numerous entities and forged their signatures on bank account signature cards, to make it appear that the investors had assets which they did not have. Scott’s sentence reflected her involvement in approximately 130 fraudulent loans (including all 97 Windsor Village loans). The total amount of those loans was $14,931,300.00. Her total fraud loss was calculated at $6,149,300.00.

Stephen Scott Brown’s participation included filling out false loan applications, obtaining false documents, obtaining inflated appraisals, and submitting the fraudulent loan packages to the lenders, knowing the documents to be false. Brown received $1,500-2,000 for each fraudulent loan which he brokered. He also assisted in funding some of the fraudulent down payments. Stephen Scott Brown’s sentence reflected his involvement in 43 fraudulent loans, including the first 11 Windsor Village loans. The total amount of those loans was $6,575,300.00. The actual loss was calculated at $2,793,412.64.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Susan Heckard Dowd, who prosecuted these cases for the government, Circuit Judge Hamilton also ordered Penn, Scott and Brown to serve three years on supervised release following their incarceration and make restitution as follows:

Penn: $11,411,722.32
Scott: $2,793,412.64
Brown: $11,122,891.82

Mark Roth, 55, Indianapolis, was sentenced today to 43 months in federal prison by Circuit Judge David F. Hamilton following Roth’s guilty pleas to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. This sentencing concerned Roth’s role in a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme operated by Robert Penn. Roth was found responsible for 25 fraudulent loans, including the first 11 Windsor Village loans, amounting to more than $5 million.

Today’s sentencing follows a lengthy investigation conducted by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Eight other individuals have been charged in the scheme. The remaining three cases are currently set for sentencing before Circuit Judge Hamilton on February 2, 2010. The investigation is continuing as to other individuals who were involved in the mortgage fraud schemes. Previously sentenced in this investigation were:

Robert Penn – 84 months’ imprisonment;
Timothy Brown – 37 months’ imprisonment;
Stephen Scott Brown – 37 months’ imprisonment;
Jerry Jaquess – 30 months’ imprisonment;
Tamara Scott – 24 months’ imprisonment.

Mark Roth was involved in the mortgage brokerage business and assisted in brokering numerous loans through Argent Mortgage Company and The MoneyStation Inc. Through his years of experience in the business, Roth had developed relationships with Argent Mortgage Company employees. Roth prepared the Argent mortgage broker application packages for Web Mortgage Company LLC and American Funding Solutions Inc., to assist these companies in being able to broker loans through Argent. Roth also opened and ran the Indianapolis branch office of 1st Start Mortgage. Roth, alone and with the assistance of others, prepared and submitted to the lenders false and fraudulent loan applications along with false supporting documentation for the loans, knowing that the documents were false when he submitted them. On some occasions, Roth also requested other individuals to “front” down payment checks for the investors. Roth received money from the fraudulent loan proceeds. He opened an entity and bank account in the name WJP Roth Investments Inc., and used this bank account to deposit the fraudulent loan proceeds which he received. Roth was also partners with Jaquess in Homevestors LLC, a company involved in the purchase of the first 11 Windsor Village properties, located near Arlington Avenue and 21st Street, on the east side of Indianapolis. These properties were purchased for $50,000.00 each, and then “sold” to straw purchasers for $120,000.00 each. All of the loans involved in the schemes went into default, and the lenders either foreclosed on the homes or took other action, including granting deeds in lieu of foreclosure or allowing short sales of the properties. Many of the duplexes in Windsor Village later re-sold in 2007 and 2008, generally for amounts between $3,500.00 and $15,000.00.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Susan Heckard Dowd, who prosecuted the case for the government, Circuit Judge Hamilton ordered Roth to serve three years on supervised release following his 43 months of incarceration and also ordered him to pay a total of $1,459,025.97 in restitution to Argent Mortgage Company and Homecomings Financial.

A Staten Island man was arrested earlier this morning on charges arising out of his alleged operation of a $12 million Ponzi scheme from 2007 to 2010. Joseph Mazella, the founder and president of the Great Atlantic Group, Inc., a Staten Island-based real estate and financial consulting company, was charged with securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in a federal indictment that was unsealed earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn. The case has been assigned to Chief United States District Court Judge Carol B. Amon. The defendant is scheduled to be arraigned later today before United States Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom at the United States Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York. The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.

As alleged in the indictment, Mazella solicited investments in Third Millennium Enterprises, Inc. and 150 West State Street Corp., both of which were associated with the Great Atlantic Group that supposedly invested in real estate projects and provided private mortgages. Mazella told prospective investors that he would invest their money in real estate projects, including projects in Trenton, New Jersey, a warehouse in Utica, New York, and a golf course development project. From approximately January 2007 until approximately December 2010, investors contributed a total of nearly $12 million to Third Millennium and 150 West State Street. As of December 2010, the combined closing balance of the bank accounts associated with the two companies was less than $15,000.

According to the indictment, Mazella described the investments as an opportunity to receive the returns of mutual funds and stocks, without any significant loss of liquidity, and at a fixed rate during the entire time period of investment. Solicitation materials distributed by Mazella characterized the investments as “geared toward individuals who are interested in earning more than traditional bank savings and CD rates but without the risk of the stock market.” Some investors were encouraged to obtain mortgages on their homes and to invest the mortgage proceeds with Third Millennium or 150 West State Street, and other investors, typically senior citizens, were encouraged to apply for reverse mortgages on their residences and to invest the proceeds with the two companies.

The indictment charges that, by as early as January 2007, Mazella had virtually stopped investing in real estate projects, and instead operated Third Millennium and 150 West State Street as a Ponzi scheme, in which he paid returns to investors from existing investors’ deposits or money paid by new investors. Many of the properties in which the companies held any mortgage or ownership interest were abandoned and in various states of disrepair, and the property taxes owed on several of those properties had fallen into arrears. Mazella also allegedly used investors’ money to pay his personal expenses, including payments for a Porsche, a mortgage on his personal residence, and family expenses.

“Perhaps the most egregious aspect of this case is that the defendant allegedly encouraged victims—some, senior citizens—to obtain mortgages on their homes and to invest the proceeds in what the indictment charges was nothing more than a Ponzi scheme,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “We will aggressively investigate and prosecute those who perpetrate these crimes.” Ms. Lynch thanked the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (OIG), for their assistance.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Fedarcyk stated, “Mazella lured investors with the promise of steady rates of return without market risk. In fact, because the investment scheme allegedly was an investment scam, the only one guaranteed to get rich quick was Mazella himself. The FBI is committed to protecting the investing public.”

If convicted, Mazella faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for each count of securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John P. Nowak and Evan Weitz.

The FBI has established a telephone hotline for victim investors in Third Millennium Enterprises and 150 West State Street Corp. The number is 212/384-1300.

The Defendant:
JOSEPH MAZELLA
Age: 52

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, Kimberly A. Lappin, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID), Miami Field Office, Jeff Atwater, bannounced the return of two indictments and one superseding indictment involving mortgage fraud schemes relating to properties in the Versailles development in Wellington, Florida. Charged in at least one of the indictments are defendant Carl Alexander, 45, of Parkland, Florida; Carol Asbury, 59, an attorney, of Lake Worth, Florida; Patrick Brinson, 34, of Miami, Florida; David Lam, 42, a real estate broker, of Parkland, Florida; David Miller, 43, Miramar, Florida; Godfrey Myles, 42, former professional football player, of Miami, Florida; Michael Samuda, 38, an attorney, of Weston, Florida; Thomas Thelusma, 40, a firefighter, of Miami, Florida; and Victoria Wilson, 30, a mortgage broker, of Hollywood, Florida.

As alleged in all three indictments, the defendants used “straw buyers” to submit false documentation substantially inflating the purchase price of the properties to various mortgage lenders. As part of the conspiracy, double HUD-1 Settlement Statements were prepared. One set with the real price was provided to the seller and another set with the inflated price was provided to the lender. The difference between the real price and the inflated price was either made to appear as if it were a debt owed to business entities controlled by the defendants and their co-conspirators, or was made to appear as profits to the seller. The fraudulent loan proceeds were instead laundered through multiple accounts to conceal the source and distribution of the money and were ultimately used for the benefit of the defendants and their co-conspirators.

More specifically, in one of the indictments (11-CR-80033-KAM), defendants Asbury, Brinson, Lam and Myles were involved in a mortgage fraud scheme that generated more than $2.55 million in mortgage loans and approximately $488,000 in fraudulent loan proceeds involving two properties in the Versailles development in Wellington: 10638 Versailles Boulevard and 10515 Vignon Court. Asbury and Lam are also charged with a mortgage fraud scheme which generated an additional $2 million in mortgage loans and $785,000 in fraudulent loan proceeds involving Versailles properties 10284 Medicis Place and 10420 St. Germain Court. Defendants Asbury and Lam are charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, and defendants Brinson and Myles are charged with one count. Defendants Asbury, Brinson and Myles are each charged with two counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, and defendant Lam is charged with four counts. Defendants Asbury and Lam are also each charged with one count of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 1341. Defendants Asbury, Brinson, and Myles are each charged with one count of making false statements on loan applications, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, and defendant Lam is charged in two counts. Each of the defendants are also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h). Defendants Asbury and Lam are charged in three counts of money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957, and defendants Brinson and Myles are charged in six counts.

In a second indictment (11-CR-80061-KAM), defendants Asbury, Alexander and Lam were charged for their involvement in a mortgage fraud scheme that generated more than $4.9 million in mortgage loans and approximately $1.8 million in fraudulent loan proceeds involving four Versailles properties: 10714 Versailles Boulevard, 3617 Royalle Terrace, 10293 Medicis Place, and 3554 Collonade Drive. Defendants Alexander, Asbury and Lam are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349; nine counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343; four counts of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 1341; four counts of making false statements on loan applications, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001; and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h). In addition, defendants Alexander and Asbury are charged in thirteen counts of money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957, and defendant Lam is charged in six counts.

The third indictment (11-CR-80057-KAM) charges defendants Lam, Miller, Samuda, Thelusma, and Wilson in a mortgage fraud scheme that generated more than $3.79 million in mortgage loans and approximately $1 million in fraudulent loan proceeds involving three Versailles properties: 10475 Trianon Place, 10460 Trianon Place, and 3483 Collonade Drive. All of the defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349; six counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343; and one count of criminal forfeiture in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 981.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison for the mail and wire fraud conspiracy, 20 years in prison for each of the mail and wire fraud counts, 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracies, 10 years in prison for each of the money laundering counts, and 5 years in prison for each of the false statement charges.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, Department of Financial Services, FBI, FDLE, U.S. Secret Service, and the Palm Beach County Mortgage Fraud Task Force. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Evans, Ellen Cohen and Carolyn Bell.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, Kimberly A. Lappin, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID), Miami Field Office, Jeff Atwater, Chief Financial Officer, Department of Financial Services, Amos Rojas, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Michael K. Fithen, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, and the Palm Beach County Mortgage Fraud Task Force, announced the return of two indictments and one superseding indictment involving mortgage fraud schemes relating to properties in the Versailles development in Wellington, Florida. Charged in at least one of the indictments are defendant Carl Alexander, 45, of Parkland, Florida; Carol Asbury, 59, an attorney, of Lake Worth, Florida; Patrick Brinson, 34, of Miami, Florida; David Lam, 42, a real estate broker, of Parkland, Florida; David Miller, 43, Miramar, Florida; Godfrey Myles, 42, former professional football player, of Miami, Florida; Michael Samuda, 38, an attorney, of Weston, Florida; Thomas Thelusma, 40, a firefighter, of Miami, Florida; and Victoria Wilson, 30, a mortgage broker, of Hollywood, Florida.

As alleged in all three indictments, the defendants used “straw buyers” to submit false documentation substantially inflating the purchase price of the properties to various mortgage lenders. As part of the conspiracy, double HUD-1 Settlement Statements were prepared. One set with the real price was provided to the seller and another set with the inflated price was provided to the lender. The difference between the real price and the inflated price was either made to appear as if it were a debt owed to business entities controlled by the defendants and their co-conspirators, or was made to appear as profits to the seller. The fraudulent loan proceeds were instead laundered through multiple accounts to conceal the source and distribution of the money and were ultimately used for the benefit of the defendants and their co-conspirators.

More specifically, in one of the indictments (11-CR-80033-KAM), defendants Asbury, Brinson, Lam and Myles were involved in a mortgage fraud scheme that generated more than $2.55 million in mortgage loans and approximately $488,000 in fraudulent loan proceeds involving two properties in the Versailles development in Wellington: 10638 Versailles Boulevard and 10515 Vignon Court. Asbury and Lam are also charged with a mortgage fraud scheme which generated an additional $2 million in mortgage loans and $785,000 in fraudulent loan proceeds involving Versailles properties 10284 Medicis Place and 10420 St. Germain Court. Defendants Asbury and Lam are charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, and defendants Brinson and Myles are charged with one count. Defendants Asbury, Brinson and Myles are each charged with two counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, and defendant Lam is charged with four counts. Defendants Asbury and Lam are also each charged with one count of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 1341. Defendants Asbury, Brinson, and Myles are each charged with one count of making false statements on loan applications, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, and defendant Lam is charged in two counts. Each of the defendants are also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h). Defendants Asbury and Lam are charged in three counts of money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957, and defendants Brinson and Myles are charged in six counts.

In a second indictment (11-CR-80061-KAM), defendants Asbury, Alexander and Lam were charged for their involvement in a mortgage fraud scheme that generated more than $4.9 million in mortgage loans and approximately $1.8 million in fraudulent loan proceeds involving four Versailles properties: 10714 Versailles Boulevard, 3617 Royalle Terrace, 10293 Medicis Place, and 3554 Collonade Drive. Defendants Alexander, Asbury and Lam are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349; nine counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343; four counts of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 1341; four counts of making false statements on loan applications, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001; and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h). In addition, defendants Alexander and Asbury are charged in thirteen counts of money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957, and defendant Lam is charged in six counts.

The third indictment (11-CR-80057-KAM) charges defendants Lam, Miller, Samuda, Thelusma, and Wilson in a mortgage fraud scheme that generated more than $3.79 million in mortgage loans and approximately $1 million in fraudulent loan proceeds involving three Versailles properties: 10475 Trianon Place, 10460 Trianon Place, and 3483 Collonade Drive. All of the defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349; six counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343; and one count of criminal forfeiture in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 981.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison for the mail and wire fraud conspiracy, 20 years in prison for each of the mail and wire fraud counts, 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracies, 10 years in prison for each of the money laundering counts, and five years in prison for each of the false statement charges.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, Department of Financial Services, FBI, FDLE, U.S. Secret Service, and the Palm Beach County Mortgage Fraud Task Force. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Evans, Ellen Cohen and Carolyn Bell.

An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

A 46-year-old Golden Valley man pled guilty earlier today in federal court in Minneapolis to orchestrating a mortgage fraud scheme that resulted in the theft of more than $2.5 million from lenders nationally. The scheme centered on obtaining fraudulent loans for the purchase of 24 homes in the Twin Cities. Appearing before United States District Court Judge Joan N. Ericksen, Zack Zafer Dyab pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of money laundering in connection to the crime. Dyab was indicted along with Julia Alexander Rozhansky, age 46, of Minnetonka, on December 8, 2009.
In his plea agreement, Dyab admitted that from 2003 through early 2007, he conspired with Rozhansky and others to induce through fraudulent means numerous mortgage lenders throughout the U.S. to loan substantial sums of money to unindicted co-conspirators, who happened to be relatives of Rozhansky. Dyab also admitted stealing large amounts of loan proceeds for his personal use.
At the time, Dyab owned American Choice Lending, Inc., a mortgage brokerage company. Rozhansky was his assistant and had supervisory authority over the company’s loan officers and loan processors.
To further the fraud scheme, Dyab often arranged for straw buyers to purchase properties at inflated prices from him or companies he owned. In other instances, he had straw buyers purchase properties at inflated prices from third-party sellers. After those sales, Dyab and Rozhansky purportedly caused the sellers to pay them a portion of the sale proceeds. In addition, Dyab sometimes had a real estate broker receive so-called real estate commissions from the transactions, which the broker then would sign over to Dyab.
In each transaction, Dyab admitted submitting a mortgage loan application that greatly exaggerated the monthly income and bank account balance of the straw buyer. On occasion, he also deposited funds into the bank account of a straw buyer in an effort to trick the lender into believing that the buyer had substantial liquidity. In addition, Dyab routinely provided straw buyers with money to bring to transaction closings, to be passed off as “down payments.” Moreover, he led lenders to believe that the straw buyers intended to live in the homes they were purchasing, when, in fact, he knew they actually planned to sell the homes to third-party straw buyers within a year. The third-party straw buyers then would default on the mortgage loans.
On February 15, 2005, at the conclusion of one of these real estate transactions, Dyab obtained $63,938.94 in seller proceeds by forging the seller’s name on the back of the proceed check. He then deposited the check into his own bank account. Then, on February 17, 2005, Dyab used $15,000 of those funds to purchase a cashier’s check.
For his crimes, Dyab faces a potential maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy charge and ten years on the money laundering charge. Judge Ericksen will determine his sentence at a future hearing, yet to be scheduled. Rozhansky also pled guilty before Judge Ericksen today. She, too, will be sentenced at a future hearing.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. MacLaughlin.

Earlier today in federal court in St. Paul, three people were charged with orchestrating a scheme to defraud mortgage lenders out of approximately $4.2 million relative to a Minnetonka development. Sheri Lynn Delich, age 45, of Apple Valley; My Dinh Lam, age 30; of Minneapolis; and Ashley Elizabeth Prasil, age 26, of Eden Prairie, were charged via an information with one count of conspiracy to commit mortgage fraud. In addition, Delich was charged with one count of money laundering.

From December 18, 2006, through December of 2007, the defendants allegedly conspired to defraud mortgage lenders in connection with the marketing of the Cloud 9 Sky Flats development (“Cloud 9”). The defendants allegedly found buyers to apply for mortgage loans to purchase units in the development, the defendants and the buyers knowing that each buyer would receive a kickback of approximately 30 percent of the reported purchase price of any unit. The forms submitted to the lenders did not disclose the kickbacks to buyers. The kickback payments were allegedly returned to the buyers through an account controlled by Delich and funded with loan proceeds. Once she received kickback money, Delich allegedly skimmed off a percentage of it for herself and others and then delivered the balance to the appropriate buyer. She did not disclose these payments to the lenders.

More than 40 Cloud 9 units were sold through the scheme, and more than 80 percent of the loans have since defaulted. In excess of $4.2 million was transferred to accounts allegedly controlled by Delich. As for the money laundering charge, Delich is alleged to have accepted a wire transfer of $120,123 in fraud proceeds.

If convicted, the defendants face a potential maximum penalty of five years in prison, and Delich faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years for money laundering. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert M. Lewis.

This law enforcement action is in part sponsored by the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The task force was established to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. It includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch and, with state and local partners, investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

Bay Area Mortgage Broker and Real Estate Agent Among Those Charged with Conspiring to Defraud Four Different Banks of More Than One Million Dollars

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Acting United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an eight-count indictment charging DENNIS AARON MOORE, 50, of Hillsborough, Calif., VERONIKA WRIGHT, 33, of San Ramon, Calif., MITCHELL WRIGHT, 36, of San Ramon, Calif., HAIYING FAN, 42, of Millbrae, Calif., and GARY LORENZO GEORGE, 50, of Olivehurst, Calif., with various crimes in connection with their participation in a mortgage fraud scheme with respect to the purchase of a series of homes in South Lake Tahoe and Nevada City, Calif. Each defendant is charged with one count of conspiring to commit bank fraud and mail fraud; defendants MOORE, VERONIKA WRIGHT, MITCHELL WRIGHT, and FAN are further charged with two counts of bank fraud; and MOORE, VERONIKA WRIGHT and GEORGE are each charged with making false statements on loan applications. MOORE and FAN are also charged with two counts of money laundering. The indictment alleges that the victim lending institutions suffered over $1,000,000 in losses as a result of the defendants’ conduct.

This case is the product of a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.

“Aggressive pursuit of those who engaged in mortgage fraud during the boom and bust of the region’s housing market remains a top priority for federal law enforcement. These scams hurt not just the lending institutions, but area homeowners and taxpayers alike,” said acting U.S. Attorney Brown.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Sean C. Flynn, who is prosecuting the case, the indictment alleges that between June 2005 and April 2007, the defendants conspired to defraud Washington Mutual Bank, doing business as Long Beach Mortgage, Countrywide Bank, FSB, and other lenders through a “cash-back-to-buyer” mortgage fraud scheme. MOORE purchased five separate properties in South Lake Tahoe and Nevada City, each of which was funded with large primary loans or first mortgages from various lending institutions. It is alleged that as part of each purchase agreement, MOORE insisted that each seller agree that a substantial “commission” – sometimes in excess of 20 percent of the purchase price – be paid from the sale proceeds to MOORE’s real estate agent, defendant FAN. In order to induce the seller to agree to such a commission, MOORE often offered to purchase the properties at prices above the respective list prices.

MOORE further collaborated with his mortgage broker, VERONIKA WRIGHT, and his other co-conspirators to submit to the lending institutions home mortgage loan applications that contained various false statements with respect to MOORE’s income, employment, liquid assets, and compliance with tax obligations. MITCHELL WRIGHT is alleged to have created a bogus Web site to substantiate MOORE’s false employment claims, and GEORGE, a tax professional, created false letters to support MOORE’s false financial claims. The banks relied on these false statements in disbursing funds pursuant to the loans. It is further alleged that once the funds were disbursed, FAN kicked back the majority of her “commission” to MOORE, completing the cashback-to-buyer mortgage fraud scheme.

The maximum statutory penalty on the conspiracy charge is five years in prison, while the bank fraud and false statement charges carry a 30-year maximum sentence. The maximum sentence that can be imposed with respect to the money laundering charges against MOORE and FAN is 10 years in prison. However, the actual sentence will be dictated by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of factors, and will be imposed at the discretion of the court.

The charges are only allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.