Monday, March 08, 2010
Man Sentenced for Using Fake Power of Attorney to Refi Property
Shih Siang Shawn Liao, 35, Manhattan, New York, an international businessman has been sentenced to three to nine years in state prison for having used a forged power of attorney to unlawfully obtain a mortgage on his mother-in-law's condominium in the Little Neck section of Queens, New York and steal more than $300,000. The condominium had been...
Couple Charged with Fleecing Individuals of Real Estate
Matthew McEntee, 50, and Marina M. Mora, 45, both of Flushing, Queens, have been charged with stealing more than $16 million from a dozen individuals selling real estate and other assets. McEntee held himself out as an attorney, accountant and banker. The defendants are charged with first, second, third and fourth degree grand larceny, second...
Man Sentenced in Real Estate Fraud Case
Joseph Little, 48, a California resident, was sentenced to 27 years, four months in prison for helping defraud nearly a dozen victims through a sophisticated real estate fraud scheme.
Prior to jury selection in the trial, defendant Little admitted an allegation that he was out on his own recognizance on another real estate fraud case on which he...
FinCen Provides Helpful Anti-Fraud Information
FinCEN joins with other Federal, State and Local government agencies and consumer protection organizations to recognize the 12th Annual National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), March 7-13. This coordinated consumer education campaign encourages individuals across the country to take full advantage of their consumer rights.
FinCEN provides a...
Friday, March 05, 2010
“The King of Bling” and His Wife Indicted for Investment Fraud
John Michael Sheehan, 50, and Alesia Claremae Sheehan, 49, Springfield, Missouri, were indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a $1 million real estate investment scheme. The Sheehans were charged in a 22-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield. Missouri.
The indictment alleges that, from June 1, 2005,...
Three Members of a Reverse Mortgage Fraud Ring Charged
Jonathan Alfred Kimpson, 27, Lithonia, Georgia, and Gia Harris, 26, Atlanta, Georgia, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to commit financial institution fraud involving so-called "reverse" mortgages. Kimpson was also charged with aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. Kelsey Torrey Hull, 38, Lithonia, Georgia,...
Man Arrested for Falsely Promising to Flip Homes for a Profit
William Warren Baker, 57, Laguna Nigel, California, was arrested for stealing over $900,000 from investors in a Ponzi scheme by fraudulently promising to buy, refurbish, and re-sell distressed homes for a profit. Baker is charged with 13 felony counts of using untrue statements in the purchase or sale of securities and 13 felony counts of...
Two Reverse Mortgage Brokers Sued For Deceptive Practices
Hartland Mortgage Centers, Inc., Woodridge, Illinois, and American Advisors Group, Inc., Irvine, California, and its company president, Reza Jahangiri are being sued for using unfair and deceptive marketing practices to solicit seniors for reverse mortgages.
In each of the lawsuits filed, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, alleges that the...
Woman Sentenced for Role in Mortgage Fraud Case
Latoya Dawkins, 28, of Augusta, Georgia, was sentenced to imprisonment for 12 months and 1 day for making a false statement to a bank in a mortgage application. Dawkins was also ordered to pay $253,000 in restitution. Dawkins entered a guilty plea in July 2009 to one count of making a false statement to a federally insured bank in violation of...
Florida Couple Charged in Real Estate Investment Scam
Gaston E. Cantens and Teresita Cantens, Miami, Florida, have been charged with fraud for conducting a $135 million Ponzi scheme with real estate investments from hundreds of elderly Cuban-American investors living in South Florida. The Cantens are the founders and co-owners of real estate development company Royal West Properties Inc. They sold...
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Man Arrested for Buying Real Estate With Stolen Identity
John Melchionna, 42, a former Linden, New Jersey, resident was arrested and charged with 13 separate counts after an investigation revealed that he used another man's identity to secure $270,000 in loans. Melchionna a faces charges of theft by deception, identity theft and forgery.
According to the complaints, Melchionna used the money, obtained...
Legacy Lending Owner Admits Mortgage Scam
Thomas John Hunter, 30, Maple Grove, Minnesota, part owner of Legacy Lending, pleaded guilty to participating in a mortgage fraud scheme that involved 37 separate real estate transactions and $20 million in loan proceeds. Hunter pled guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in connection to this crime. He was charged...
Woman Arrested In Real Estate Fraud Cases
Angela M. Moore, 42, a Florida resident, has been charged with a scheme to defraud, grand theft, and operating as a real estate broker without a license in a case involving online real estate sales.
The initial investigation began in October 2008 when the Florida Office of the Attorney General received a complaint and referred it to the Lee...
2 Sentenced for Escrow Fraud
Derrick Beaulieu, 38, and Shawnzell Venson, 37, both of New Orleans, Louisiana, were sentenced (Beaulieu, Venson) in federal court after pleading guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to steal government funds and wire fraud involving elderly individuals' Road Home grants. Beaulieu was sentenced to thirty (30) months imprisonment and ...
Ex-Loan Officer Sentenced for Creating False Loan Documents
Lynn Ingle, 36, Burleson, Texas, a former loan officer, was sentenced for one count of conspiracy to make false Entries to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme.
According to court documents, Ingle was charged with creating false loan documentation to qualify borrowers for FHA loans in...
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Rachel Dollar, the editor of Mortgage Fraud Blog, is an attorney and Certified Mortgage Banker who handles litigation for lending institutions and secondary market investors. She is an author and a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of mortgage fraud. Ms. Dollar is a shareholder with the law firm of 
