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
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15 Indicted in Wide-Ranging Florida Mortgage Scheme
Henry Quintero-Lopez and Lazaro Villalba were among 13 others indicted for their roles in a mortgage fraud scheme. A joint federal-state investigation, spearheaded by the Internal Revenue Service and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, culminated in a 70-count Indictment, recently unsealed, charging 15 defendants in a wide-ranging mortgage fraud scheme. This scheme yielded 12 fraudulent loans, totaling approximately $8,300,000.
The defendants include:
Henry Quintero-Lopez;
Lazaro Villalba;
Dahomey Talavera;
Antonio Ramos;
Joaquin M. Perea;
Raul Eric Garcia aka Eric Garcia;
Martine Yanisse Castrillon;
Felipe M. Nunez;
Michelle Volcy;
Luc Bruna;
Maykel Clavero-Gonzalez aka Maykel Clavero;
Iray Ponte;
Nidia Rodriguez-Rial aka Nidia Rodriguez; and
Iliana Lima.
According to the Indictment, defendants Quintero-Lopez and Villalba orchestrated a scheme through which they located properties for sale in the Southwest Ranches area of Broward county, Florida. Quintero-Lopez and Villalba would offer the owners full asking price for the properties, and then inflate the contract purchase price submitted to the lender to allow their companies, New World International and D& H Investments of South Florida, to receive as a “fee” moneys in excess of the true purchase price.
The properties included in the scheme were located at:
6402 SW 185th Way;
17501 SW 56th Street;
15270 SW 53rd Court;
17731 SW 70th Place;
6310 SW 185th Way;
18330 SW 66th Street;
5109 SW 164th Terrace; and
20251 SW 50th Place, all of Southwest Ranches, Florida.
To execute their scheme, Quintero-Lopez and Villalba would recruit individuals who, for a fee, would serve as “straw buyers” of the properties selected. Quintero-Lopez and Villalba would obtain fraudulent pay stubs, IRS forms W-2 ,verification of employment and verification of deposit forms from defendant Joaquin M. Perea, the owner of J.P.Accounting Service in Miami, Florida. These false documents would, in turn, be submitted to the mortgage brokers, defendants Antonio Ramos, at Home Mortgage Finance Group in Miami, and Ruben Jimenez, at Lenders Choice Mortgage Services in Miami.
According to the Indictment, Ramos and Jimenez knowingly assisted Quintero-Lopez and Villalba in obtaining the fraudulent mortgages from lenders in the names of the straw buyers. The Indictment further alleges that defendants Eric Garcia and Martine Yanisse Castrillon were licensed State of Florida registered trainee appraisers who knowingly prepared fraudulent appraisals at the request of Quintero-Lopez and Villalba.
The Indictment also alleges that defendants Felipe M. Nunez, Michelle Volcy, Luc Bruna, Maykel Clavero-Gonzalez, Iray Ponte, Nidia Rodriguez-Rial, and Iliana Lima were straw buyers who were paid thousands of dollars by Quintero-Lopez and Villalba to sign the purchase documents and appear at the closings to have the properties placed in their names.
Eight fraudulent mortgages are listed in the Indictment, which includes charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, substantive mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and substantive money laundering. Each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of five (5) years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the conspiracy count; a statutory maximum sentence of twenty (20) years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each of the wire and mail fraud counts; and a maximum statutory sentence of twenty (20) years in prison and a fine of up to at least $500,000 on each of the money laundering counts.
Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the Internal Revenue Service and Broward County Sheriff’s Office for their work on this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Lanigan.
So did anything ever happen to these 15-18 people in the Miami Mortgage Fraud case?
Posted by on 02/12 at 09:28 AM
i have always no talavera has a good person i dont think she did anything with a bad intention…
nicole her daghter!!! respect
Posted by on 07/17 at 07:04 AM
this was all blown out of porportion because of the crash in the Market, the the amount of moneys made were NO WHERE near what is published for the public to see! some of these people i know personally and are great people who just got cought up trying to make an extra buck without hurting anyone! go get the real crooks and murderes!
Failed Mortgage Firm Trustee Allowed $50,000 in Fees Union Leader
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge J. Michael Deasy will approve $50,000 in legal fees for the trustee of failed mortgage brokerage businesses Financial Resources Mortgage Inc. and CL&M Inc.
Bend Oregon Event to Help Homeowners Prevent Foreclosures Oregon.Gov
As part of an ongoing effort to help homeowners avoid foreclosure, state agencies are organizing a foreclosure-prevention event in Bend on Saturday, March 27, 2010.
Shelbyville Man Gets 2-Year Sentence For Loan Fraud Chattanoogan.Com
Prosecutor Gary Humble said the lost was approximately $2.3 million in the mortgage fraud involving hundreds of homes in the Shelbyville area.
Lend America, VP Ashley Banned from FHA Housing Wire
Michael Ashley, the embattled former vice president of Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-backed mortgage originator Lend America, and the company he worked for, were permanently banned from doing business in the industry last week.
Countrywide Tries to Pin Blame on Insurer Court House News
Countrywide Home Loans demands $111 million from Triad Guaranty Insurance, claiming Triad is trying to blame mortgage lenders for the insurer's role in the housing bubble and collapse.
Investors Say They Were Swindled in Property Scheme Fox 13 Now
Utah Division of Consumer Protection is joining forces with a few investors who claim they have been cheated by an agency called "Utah Mini Ranches.
Greenfield Man Accused of Housing Scam The Republic
A former real estate agent conned at least eight people by renting them properties actually owned by a federal agency and then running off with their deposits, prosecutors said.
Appraisal Institute Opposes Obama Administration's Plan for Homeowner 'Short Sales' PR News Wire
Citing concerns about increased mortgage fraud, four organizations representing more than 35,000 real estate appraisers today voiced their opposition to changes to an Obama administration program that will encourage "short sales" of homes.
Ownership Rights to Get Another Look TBO.Com
State lawmakers may beef up protections of property owners' rights by rewriting a law this spring that is at the center of a case of alleged fraud in Pasco County.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 F. Jeffrey Miller Trial Continued Testimony
As reported by Anne Mitchell, who viewed the trial:
Angela Parenza worked for Jeff Miller as the office manager for 7 or 8 years beginning in 1998. Parenza was indicted along with Miller and pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering. Parenza testified that Miller or his contractors allegedly preferred to build all the...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 F. Jeffrey Miller Trial Coverage Continued - Witness Testimony
Steve Middleton Testimony - Coverage Provided by Anne Mitchell
The Government continued in its cross examination of Steve Middleton. He was shown several HUD-1 statements involving sales of homes located in Overland Park, KS, and Olathe, KS. The HUD statements each allegedly showed line items of payments to (James) Moser & Associates, LLC's...
Monday, February 01, 2010 F. Jeffrey Miller Trial Coverage - Continued Witness Examination
According to Anne Mitchell, who is present in court for the trial:
Next Witness: Kelly Sanford
Kelly Sanford of the Federal Reserve was a short witness for the Government. Sanford manages electronic payments between banks and member financial institutions. He was shown copies of wire transfers and asked whether they coincided with the counts in...
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 F. Jeffrey Miller Trial - Prosecution Witnesses Continued
According to Anne Mitchell, who is viewing the trial:
January 13, 2010
Witness: Rick Hayes
Rick Hayes testified that on the day that he closed on his Miller Enterprise home, he received a phone call from the Kansas Banking Commission informing him that his loan was fraudulent. After the Hayes responded to a classified ad, they met with John...
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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 
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