Fugitives Arrested for Mortgage Scam Involving “Forensic Audits”

William Chrissikopoulos, 43, Las Vegas, Nevada; and Lynda Finch-Estrada, 54, Las Vegas, have been arrested on a warrant for various felony theft and fraud charges involving alleged operation of a mortgage lending fraud in Las Vegas.

Chrissikopoulos and Finch-Estrada made their first appearance in a Nevada courtroom and are scheduled for calendar call on October 29, 2014.

Finch-Estrada, also known as Lynda Heath, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Office on August 26, 2014, at an apartment building in Las Vegas, Nev. and was booked into the Clark County Detention Center (CCDC). Found in a flea market, Chrissikopoulos was taken into custody by the Rusk County Sherriff’s Office in Henderson, Texas on July 28, 2014, and was extradited to Las Vegas, Nev. and booked into CCDC on August 28, 2014.

Both were apprehended as a result of anonymous tips and picked up on arrest warrants issued by the Nevada AG’s Office on April 22, 2013.

The defendants are each charged with the following:

• four counts of theft by material misrepresentation in the amount of $3,500 or more;
• two counts of theft by material misrepresentation in the amount of $3,500 or more from a person 60 years of age or older;
• one count of theft by material misrepresentation in the amount of $650 or more;
• four counts of mortgage lending fraud;
• one count of pattern of mortgage lending fraud;
• one count of multiple transaction involving fraud and deceit in the course of enterprise or occupation; and
• two counts of preventing or dissuading victim, person acting on behalf of a victim or witness from reporting a crime, commence prosecution or causing arrest.

On July 17, 2014, co-defendant Alan J. Dornhuber, 64, Las Vegas, was arrested in Iowa by two Fort Dodge Police Department patrol officers after a suspicious incident in which he and another suspect attempted to conduct unannounced repairs on the roof a resident’s home.

Defendants Chrissikopoulos, Dornhuber and Finch-Estrada operated USFP and promised clients that if a forensic audit of their mortgage uncovered one or more “Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act” violations, clients would be entitled to a legal remedy resulting in the elimination of their mortgage obligation, among other mortgage scams. The defendants typically charged $6,295-$12,990 up front for one or multiple programs but failed to deliver the promised service. Read the complete indictment here.

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced the arrest.

The AG’s investigation indicates there may be more Nev. and Calif. residents affected by the scam. Victims in Nevada with information regarding USFP are urged to submit a written Mortgage Fraud Complaint, which can be found on the AG’s website.

“Both of these suspects have been avoiding capture from law enforcement for well over a year,” said Masto. “The arrests of the defendants originated on tips from anonymous community members in multiple states. We appreciate the excellent work of the U.S. Marshals Office, Rusk County Sheriff’s Office and our local law enforcement in apprehending the fugitive suspects.”