Mortgage Fraud Blog is the premier website for news and information on mortgage fraud and real estate fraud throughout the United States.
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 Smith Dollar, PC, 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.
Southaven Resident Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud, Tax Evasion
Paula Sharice Nelson a/k/a Paula Mason, a/k/a Paula Kimmons, 30, Southaven, Mississippi, pled guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of income tax evasion before U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson. Nelson faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison and a fine of $1.25 million when she is sentenced on January 28, 2010.
Mortgage Broker Convicted of Defrauding Homeowners
Gregory Cooper, 42, New York, has been convincted by a jury in White Plains federal court of defrauding homeowners in Queens and the Bronx, New York through a predatory mortgage scheme. The jury also convicted Cooper of carrying out a separate scheme in which he and his co-conspirators defrauded mortgage brokers around the country by selling...
Five Charged with Beating, Torture of Loan Modification Agents
Daniel Weston, 52, La Cañada, Califorina, and Gustavo Canez, 36, Los Angeles, California, were charged with two counts of torture, two counts of false imprisonment by violence and two counts of second-degree robbery in connection with the beating and torture of a pair of loan modification agents.
Wayne Goldenbaum, also known as Robert King, Las Vegas, Nevada, has been indicted on multiple charges of theft, including theft from an individual over the age of 60.
The charges stem from instances where King fraudulently obtained the proceeds from his victims' mortgage loans or obtained money for the lease of property which he did not own. The...
Ex-Real Estate Agent Pleads Guilty in Fraudulent Sale
Ammar Dean Halloum, 46, Phoenix, Arizona, a former real estate agent, has pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with a fraudulent real estate transaction with an elderly Tucson resident.
At a hearing before Judge Richard S. Fields in Pima County Superior Court, Halloum pleaded guilty to one count of theft/financial exploitation of a...
Legal Action Filed Against Housing Scam That Targeted Hispanic Homebuyers
Jose Fernando "Fern" Hernandez, a real estate broker, his wife, Odessa S. Hernandezand his company, Fern Hernandez Realty, Inc., have been charged by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott with defrauding Hispanic home buyers. According to court documents filed in Travis County, the defendants falsely promised their customers home ownership when,...
Title Agent Will Spend the Next 4 Years Behind Bars
Karen Axline, Granville, Ohio, a former title agent, was sentenced to four years in prison for her role in a mortgage fraud scheme according to media reports.
As previously reported by Mortgage Fraud Blog, Axline was indicted on charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and receiving stolen property.
Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing over $470,000 in Mortgage Fraud Scam
Roseann Wagner, 45, Prior Lake, Minnesota, has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $470,000 in money designated for payment of title insurance premiums. Wagner appeared in federal court in St. Paul, where she pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of failure to file a tax return before United States District Court Judge Paul...
Florida Man Convicted of Mortgage Fraud Involving Pot Houses
Noel Albanes-Gomez, formerly of Miami, Florida, was convicted on Thursday, October 22, 2009, of conspiracy and mail fraud charges for his participation in a mortgage fraud scheme. Sentencing has been scheduled for Friday, January 22, 2010, before the U.S. District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez. Albanes-Gomez and his co-defendants were originally...
Couple and Their Real Estate Firm Indicted on Charges They Stole Over $600,000 from Home Sellers
Joann Smith, 44, her boyfriend, Wayne Betha, 39, Ewing, New Jersey, and their real estate company, S&B Property Management and Maintenance LLC, Trenton, New Jersey, were indicted on charges they stole more than $600,000 from home sellers in connection with 11 home sales. They are also charged with defrauding three mortgage companies of $641,800...
Mortgage Broker Sentenced In Scheme To Defraud Lenders
Sidney Okosun, 41, a Nigerian national residing in Washington, D.C., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. to 18 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for bank fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud mortgage lenders. Judge Williams also ordered Okosun to pay restitution of $2,165,191. Okosun...
18 Californians Indicted on Marijuana and Mortgage Fraud Charges
14 Bay Area residents have been indicted and charged with conspiracy to manufacture at least 1000 marijuana plants and manufacturing at least 1000 marijuana plants arising out of a wide-scale, sophisticated indoor marijuana cultivation operation in the Central Valley, California. The federal grand jury also returned a separate indictment...
Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty in $50 Million Bank Fraud Scheme
Solomon Dwek, 37, Monmouth County, New Jersey real estate developer, pleaded guilty to bank fraud and money laundering charges in connection with his scheme to defraud PNC Bank of more than $50 million.
Dwek pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares to an Information charging him with one count each of bank fraud and money...
Man Indicted For Stealing More Than $2.5M In Real Estate Scam
A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against a 41-year-old Mound man
Timothy Lynn Beliveau, 41, Mound, Minnesota, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, two counts of mail fraud and nine counts of willful failure to account for and pay taxes for allegedly swindling 14 investors and their lenders out of more...
U.S. Attorney Targets White-Collar Crime Wall Street Journal
In San Francisco, Mr. Russoniello said he is trying to crack down on cases like mortgage fraud, though he doesn't have the budget to hire additional white-collar prosecutors.
Arrests Made in Orlando Mortgage Fraud Roundup MyFoxOrlando.com
During the real estate boom two years ago, some units were going for a half million dollars. Now some are short selling for just 50 grand.
10 Accused of Mortgage Fraud at PR Coastal Resort Forbes
A developer and nine other people, including a former salsa singer, have been charged in an alleged $14 million mortgage fraud in Puerto Rico...
Strodtman Jury Selected in Mortgage Fraud Trial Greeley Tribune
Attorneys will deliver opening statements this morning in the trial of Mark Strodtman, who is accused of bilking homeowners in a mortgage scheme years ago.
FHA Digging Out After Loans Sour Wall Street Journal
Most banks rejected Ms. DeForte because her debt level was too high and her credit score too low. But Lend America put Ms. DeForte into a $402,000 loan backed by the Federal Housing Administration...
Mortgage Fraud Probe Nets 105 Across State Bradenton Herald
At least one local man is among 105 people arrested across the state following a nine-month investigation into organized mortgage fraud.
Mortgage Fraud Increases MortgageRates.co.nz
The number of frauds involving professional advisors, such as accountants and lawyers, has increased from two to four since March 2008.
Trial coverage provided by Anne Mitchell, Crazy Fish Realty.
F. Jeffrey Miller Update - October 20, 2009
A hearing was held in Topeka, Kansas in front of Judge Julie Robinson. Miller is currently being held pending his sentencing which is set for December 22nd, 2009 at 9:00 a.m.. Steve Vanatta and Hallie Irvin, Miller's codefendants, will be sentenced at that time also.
Several motions were heard this week. One was a motion for Miller to be released pending his sentencing. Miller's attorney, Jeff Morris, argued that the court had dismmissed with predjudice the matter involving Miller's purchase of a commercial lawnmower, violating the court ordered monitoring agreement. He also argued that Miller was not a flight risk and should be released. This motion was denied.
Another motion heard by Judge Robinson was that of an escrow account containing proceeds from the sale of Miller's forfeited assets. This account has a balance of $143,000. Attorney Morris argued that his firm was due $100,000 for work done in the Miller matter, to date. The government argued that his 'un-itemized fees' were 'exhorbitant'. The balance of the funds, Morris argued, should be released to the Miller family to help pay for mounting household expenses.
The government argued that the 'Asset Forfeiture Provision' applies down to 'the last penny' and that 'the rights of the victims to made whole are of paramount immportance' and that no routine household expenses like Visa bills, are allowed.
Attorney Morris argues that there is more than enough assets to satisfy the jury's judgement of $2.65 million dollars. The government argues that the estimated value of his assets are only $1.4 million.
The government also stated that Miller has been paid dividends from a company Miller has an ownership interest in; Boreflex. From July, 2008 to present, Miller has been paid $330,509.30 from Boreflex, unbeknownst to the court appointed monitor.
Present in the courtroom was Todd Earnshaw. Earnshaw was indicted along with Miller and others in what is commonly referred to as 'Miller I'. That trial is scheduled to begin on January 11, 2010 in Topeka, Kansas.
Legal Disclaimer.
The information and notices contained on Mortgage Fraud Blog are intended to summarize recent developments in mortgage fraud cases and mortgage banking matters nationwide. The posts on this site are presented as general research and information and are expressly not intended, and should not be regarded, as legal advice. Much of the information on this site concerns allegations made in civil lawsuits and in criminal indictments. All persons are presumed innocent until convicted of a crime. Readers who have particular questions about mortgage banking, mortgage fraud matters or who believe they require legal counsel should seek the advice of an attorney. The creators, editors and sponsors of Mortgage Fraud Blog do not intend to create a confidential relationship or an attorney-client relationship by communication via or arising from this site.
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 
