Rachel Dollar is an attorney and Certified Mortgage Banker who handles fraud recovery litigation for lenders and secondary market investors nationwide. She is a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of mortgage fraud. Ms. Dollar is licensed to practice law in California and maintains offices in Santa Rosa, California. Email Ms. Dollar

Mortgage Fraud Blog is co-sponsored by Interthinx the leading provider of fraud services and solutions for the mortgage industry.

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July 13, 2008 - Tampa Tribune
Close Door on Real Estate Fraud

May 31, 2008 - The Seattle Times
A Roundup of Real Estate Books

May 30, 2008 - Chicago Tribune
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Recent Posts

- 16 Indicted In New York Mortgage Fraud Scheme
- Mortgage Fraud Scheme Leads to Prison Term for Houston Man
- Loan Officer Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Mortgage Fraud
- Phoenix Mortgage Broker Who Defrauded Seniors Gets Prison Term
- Jeffrey Miller Trial Begins in Topeka, Kansas
- Man Sentenced To 22 Years For Defrauding Church, Among Others
- 2 Indicted In Major Mortgage Fraud Scheme
- Mortgage Broker Sentenced to 12 Months Home Confinement
- 2 Guilty Convictions In NY Foreclosure Rescue Scam
- Guilty Plea In Multi-Million Dollar Mortgage Fraud And Telemarketing Schemes

Pennsylvania

Mortgage Fraud - Pennsylvania

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

5 Plead Guilty to Mortgage Fraud

Sharon Chamberlain, 40, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Ericka Stanford, 35, Carnegie, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one count each of Participating in a Wire Fraud Conspiracy before United States District Court Judge Joy Flowers Conti.  Stanford also pleaded guilty to one count of Money Laundering.

Andrea Revak, 47, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Aaron McCarthy, 43, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one count each of Participating in a Wire Fraud Conspiracy before Chief United States District Court Judge Donetta Ambrose.

Marlin Sprouts, Jr., 52, Uniontown, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one count of Participating in …

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Thursday, April 03, 2008

2 Charged In Mortgage Fraud Scheme

David Paul, 50, a real estate investor, and Diane Flannery, 47, a mortgage broker and loan officer for Source Mortgage Company, were indicted and charged with mail fraud in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme centered in Reading, Pennsylvania, between April 2002 and July 2003.

Some of Paul‘s buyers were unable to qualify for affordable mortgage loans to finance the purchase of their houses. According to the Indictment, Paul steered them into Federal Housing Administration insured loans and then falsified documents associated with those loans. The fraudulent documents were meant to …

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Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Guilty Plea In Pennsylvania Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Frank A. Kartesz, II, 39, Erie, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy and wire fraud.

In connection with the guilty plea, Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold advised the court that Kartesz and others conspired to falsify mortgage loan applications for home buyers who could not have otherwise obtained a mortgage.  Kartesz and others also accompanied prospective home buyers to the buyers’ banks and deposited money into the buyers accounts to make it appear as if the buyers had higher account balances.  The following properties were included in …

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Friday, March 21, 2008

Businessman Sentenced to 76 Months

Robert L. Dodsworth, 60, Erie, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 76 months in jail, a $50,000 fine, over $57,000 in restitution and three years supervised release on his conviction of conspiracy and money laundering.

As previously reported by Mortgage Fraud Blog and according to information presented to the court by Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold, Dodsworth and others conspired to falsify mortgage loan applications for home buyers who could not have otherwise obtained a mortgage.  Dodsworth and others also accompanied prospective home buyers to the buyers’ banks and …

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Thursday, March 20, 2008

Sentencing Continuance Granted For A Second Time

Jay Berger, 54, mortgage broker, settlement agent and title agent, was not sentenced March 19, 2008.  Berger, through his attorney, motioned the court for a second continuance of that hearing until May 16, 2008.  The motion was based on the fact that Defendant had recently hired attorney Jerome Brown, who requested an additional 60 days to prepare the case for the sentencing hearing.  Defendant’s motion was granted.

As previously reported by Mortgage Fraud Blog, Berger was charged by Information in connection with his alleged involvement in a real estate closing scheme …

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Thursday, February 21, 2008

Pennsylvania Mortgage Fraud Task Force Busy in 2008

Sharon Chamberlain, 39—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Colleen Chiavetta, 35—Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Money Laundering Conspiracy
John Chiavetta, 68—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Erika Stanford, 34—Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Money Laundering Conspiracy
Aaron Thompson, 32—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Leon Truskowski, 37—Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Money Laundering Conspiracy

The Pennsylvania grand jury returned separate but related indictments charging Leon Truskowski, Colleen Chiavetta, Daniel Gillen, Erika Stanford, Sharon Chamberlain, Aaron Thompson, and John Chiavetta with participating in a Mortgage Fraud Conspiracy.

Leon Truskowski and Colleen Chiavetta operated …

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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Precision Mortgage Fraud Scheme Unraveled

Anthony Fields, 38—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Alice Fields, 28—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Lisa Fields, 33—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Raymond Fields, 26—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Randy Carretta, 44—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Jason Jester, 38—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Aaron McCarthy, 43—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Andrea Revak, 47—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Joyce Davern, 66—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Kelly Fields, 35—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Sabrina Stetter, 46—Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Wayne Fumea, 61—Conspiracy

The grand jury returned separate but …

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Friday, February 15, 2008

3 New Indictments In Pennsylvania Straw Buyer Scheme

The following three defendants were indicted:

Michael McFerron Pope, 43—Conspiracy, Money Laundering
James Andrew Spike, 43—Conspiracy
Marlin Sprouts, Jr., 52—Conspiracy

The grand jury returned separate but related indictments charging Michael Pope, Marlin Spouts, Jr., and James Spike with participating in a Mortgage Fraud Conspiracy.  Pope was also charged with two counts of Money Laundering.

All three indictment are related to similar charges filed against Tiffany SproutsSprouts previously pleaded guilty to the information and is awaiting sentencing.  Pope and Tiffany …

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Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Task Force Formed To Counter Growth Of Mortgage Fraud In Western Pennsylvania

United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan and key officials from federal, state and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies announced today the launch of the Western Pennsylvania Mortgage Fraud Task Force, a strategic partnership intended to combat the growing problem of mortgage fraud in the Greater Pittsburgh region.

The Mortgage Fraud Task Force brings together representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Office of Inspector General, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Pennsylvania Department of Banking, …

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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Mortgage Broker Sentenced To 3 Years For Fraud Scheme

William D. Edgar, 49, Verona, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania federal court to 37 months of incarceration and five years supervised release on his conviction of conspiracy, bank fraud, and wire fraud.

According to the court documents and information presented to the court by Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway, Edgar, who was a mortgage broker licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking, operated a mortgage brokerage business known as America’s Mortgage Outlet, Monroeville, Pennsylvania.  Between May 2001, and October 2003, Edgar participated with loan officers at America’s …

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Friday, January 11, 2008

Sentencing Hearing Continued For Broker

Jay Berger, 54, mortgage broker, settlement agent and title agent, will not be sentenced on January 15, 2008.  Berger, through his attorney, motioned the court for a continuance of that hearing until March 19, 2008.  The motion was based on the fact that Defendant had just hired attorney Jerome Brown who required 60 days to prepare the case for the sentencing hearing.  Defendant’s motion was granted.

As previously reported by Mortgage Fraud Blog, Berger was charged by Information in connection with his alleged involvement in a real estate closing scheme that …

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Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Pennsylvania Businessman Pleads Guilty to Mortgage Fraud

Robert L. Dodsworth, 60, Erie County, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to felony charges that he engaged in mortgage fraud in the city of Erie, PennsylvaniaDodsworth entered the plea at a hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Sean J. McLaughlin.

Dodsworth pleaded guilty to the felony counts of money laundering and conspiracy, criminal conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud. He faces a maximum of 25 years at his sentencing on March 4, 2008.

As previously reported by Mortgage Fraud Blog, Robert L. Dodsworth was …

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Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Pennsylvania Broker Pleads Guilty to Fraud

Wesley A. Snyder, 71, Oley, Pennsylvania, is charged in a one count Information filed in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with Mail Fraud Affecting a Financial Institution, 18 U.S.C. § 1341. The Information alleges that between 1988 and September of 2007, Snyder defrauded more than 800 individuals throughout Central and Eastern Pennsylvania via his “Wrap Around, Equity Slide Down Discount” Mortgage Program and his “Mortgage Participation” Investment Program. The charge carries a potential penalty of 30 years imprisonment and $1,000,000 fine.

Snyder has agreed to plead guilty to the charge pursuant to …

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Pennsylvania Businessman Indicted for Mortgage Fraud

Robert L. Dodsworth, Erie County, Pennsylvania, is accused of a mortgage-fraud scam that included misrepresenting Borrower income and financials. Dodsworth is also alleged to have manipulated the bank accounts of prospective homeowners.

According to the criminal iinformation, Dodsworth, owner of several Pennsylvania corporations, from January 2003 through March 2006, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, conspired with others to obtain investors for the purpose of procuring funds for the purchase distressed, low cost real estate in Erie Pennsylvania. Dodsworth intended to sell the properties at drastically and artificially inflated prices.
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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Man Receives 14 Years for Real Esate Scam

Mickey Allen Weicksel, a former real estate investor who obtained about $4 million in kickbacks through a real estate scam centered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, five years probation after his release, and ordered pay $750,324 in restitution.

On March 3, 2006, a jury convicted Weicksel of 14 counts of wire fraud, 3 counts of bank fraud, and 1 count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Weicksel and his former partner, Barrylee Paul Beers, operating as Paul-Allen Enterprises or ”PAE,” carried out a scheme to obtain …

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TRIAL COVERAGE

Trial coverage provided by Anne Mitchell, Crazy Fish Realty.

 

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Synopsis of Day 2, Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Seating the Jury: The jury selection process was the order of business in day 2 of the USA v. Miller, et al. Court began at 1:00 p.m. The jurors had filled out a questionaire the previous day. The 56 person pool was narrowed to 42 people whose names were called by the court clerk. Of the initial 42 potential jurors, 27 are women, 15 are men. The remaining 14 sat in the observation area with me. The side of the courtroom is divided by an aisle. The Government is to the left of the aisle, along with the jury box. The defendants are on the right side of the aisle. The choice of which side to sit on can be assumed as 'support' of one side or the other. When the jury pool returned from a break, they all filled the left side of the observation area (where I sat) and almost begrudgingly filled the right side. For the better part of the afternoon, Judge Julie Robinson questioned the jurors about whether they had served on a jury before (including any civil matters against banks. Interestingly, this was the only question in which none of the potential jurors raised their hand), their prior criminal or civil history, among other things. Many of the jurors had previous jury experience. None had been forepersons on those juries. On a few occasions, Judge Robinson excused a juror due to answers given, such as financial hardship over the course of the trial from loss of income. One juror explained that he had a close relationship with Court prosecutors due to his sitting through a murder trial of his nephew. He was unsure whether he could be impartial. When the judge would excuse a juror, the clerk would then call the next name of the 14 remaining jury pool members. The 42 were then given a sheet and asked to stand and tell the Court about their education, job, marital and family status, hobbies, favorite TV shows, military history, and what clubs they belonged to. This took the longest part of the day as some of the members spoke at length. Mr. Vanatta remains in custody. He enters and leaves the courtroom with law enforcement officers. The two officers sit 3 feet away from Vanatta during the court proceedings. Mr. Vanatta clearly struggles to keep up with reviewing jury questionaires unlike the other defendants who are free pending the outcome of this trial. Hallie Irvin sits across from Mr. Vanatta. They continue to chat and exchange notes throughout the day. Samantha Harris has no conversation with her tablemate, F. Jeffrey Miller. Harris's attorney sits between the two. I am unsure whether the jurors have yet to identify Miller. He is better dressed than his lawyers and appears to be an attorney. There is a jury consultant in the court room. Aside from myself, he was the only non-jury pool member in the observation area of the courtroom. One of Miller's attorneys', Mr. Bradshaw, appears to be bothered by my presence in the courtroom. On Monday, he approached me in the courtroom. I told him I was simply there to observe the trial. On Tuesday, at one point Mr. Bradshaw 'squared his chair' towards me. Court is not in session today, Wednesday, November 19th. On Thursday, court will reconvene at 9 am. The attorneys will be allowed to ask further questions of the 42. In case of conflict, the remaining 14 are required to return to court as well. Then, the jury members will be selected. The opening statements are much anticipated. Judge Robinson says they will begin mid-morning on Thursday. -article by field reporter, Anne Mitchell, Crazy Fish Realty

More Trial Coverage

Today's News

Some Sources require Registration.

 

Suthers Cracks Down On Mortgage Fraud
Rocky Mountain News - Denver, CO
Suther’s office also indicted 10 individuals last March in an $11 million mortgage fraud ring involving 34 local properties...Several other investigations of mortgage fraud are ongoing.

Tech Roundup: Interthinx Tackles Conflict-of-Interest Fraud
HousingWire.com
Agoura Hills, Calif.-based Interthinx, Inc., a provider of risk mitigation and regulatory compliance tools, announced last week the addition of 21 new conflict-of-interest alerts within its FraudGUARD scoring system that identify possible collusion between loan participants.

Sex, Lies, and Subprime Mortgages
BusinessWeek
The sexual favors, whistleblower intimidation, and routine fraud behind the fiasco that has triggered the global financial crisis

More Residents Worry About Mortgage Fraud
Killeen Daily Herald - Killeen, TX
Special Agent Matthew Gravelle is an experienced fraud investigator in the Austin office of the FBI's San Antonio Division. During the last five years, mortgage fraud cases have piled up because of the collapsing mortgage market.

Anti-Mortgage Fraud Law Jams Up Realtors
Bizjournals.com - Charlotte, NC
The situation mainly affects short sales, where the asking price is lower than what the homeowner owes on the mortgage. If the homeowner is 60 days delinquent on payments, the home may be considered a “distressed property” under the state Mortgage Rescue Fraud Prevention Act that took effect July 1.

Hearing Delayed for 2 Mortgage Brokers Accused of Fraud
Las Vegas Sun - Las Vegas, NV
The preli