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
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Kolawole Aminu, 45, a Nigerian national, pleaded guilty to conspiring to make a false statement in connection with a scheme to defraud a mortgage lender. Oyekunle Ikudayisi, 39, White Plains, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the same charge on April 23, 2008.
According to court documents (their plea agreements are currently sealed), Aminu and Ikudayisi conspired with others to purchase properties from a company owned by a co-conspirator. Aminu and Ikudayisi obtained mortgage loans for the properties in their own names, using their good credit histories. The co-conspirator, however, was responsible for making all payments associated with the purchase of the properties, including the down payments, closing costs and mortgage payments. The defendants made false statements on loan applications as to their incomes and intent to make the properties their primary residences, and signed settlement documents indicating they were making the down payments on those properties, paying the closing costs associated with the transactions and making the mortgage payments, when in fact they were not. Aminu was paid $10,000 for his participation in the scheme.
As part of this scheme, Aminu purchased 4304 Payne Drive, Fort Washington, Maryland in June 2006. The property went into foreclosure in April 2007, resulting in a loss to the mortgage lender of over $70,000. Ikudayisi purchased three properties from July to September 2006: 7601 Webster Lane, Ft. Washington; 2609 Brentwood Road NE, Washington, D.C.; and 4302 Alton Street, Capitol Heights, Maryland. All three properties went into foreclosure, resulting in estimated losses to the mortgage lenders of $190,847.
The defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. has scheduled sentencing for Aminu on August 21, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. and for Ikudayisi on August 22, 2008 at 9:30 a.m.
Prosecutors Say Real Estate Fraud Was Motive In San Ramon Murder Inside Bay Area - Oakland, CA
Prosecutors charged an El Sobrante man today in connection with the murder of a San Ramon man that appears to have stemmed from an alleged real estate fraud involving a piece of property in North Richmond.
Local Family Wins Sweepstakes, Has Mortgage Paid Off KSDK - St. Louis, MO
A St. Clair family no longer has to worry about paying a mortgage after winning a contest promising a free home mortgage..."I thought it was a scam that this wasn't real...no way this could happen to us," Michno said.
Scam Artists Move In As Foreclosure Crisis Builds In Salinas Monterey County Herald - Monterey, CA
Hernandez told them it would better to stop paying their mortgage because they were going to lose the house anyway. He then offered his services to help them sell the property, and had paperwork ready for the couple to sign.
Fraud Alert Issued After Mortgage Files Dumped Denver Post - Denver, CO
Consumers who did business with Cove Creek Mortgage Co. could become victims of identity theft after company files were thrown into a Dumpster over the weekend, officials warned.
Mortgage-Fraud Bill Heading To Crist Bradenton Herald - FL
In the wake of Florida's real estate downturn and rapid rise in foreclosures, the state Senate passed a second bill in as many years Tuesday increasing the penalties for those convicted of mortgage fraud.
Foreclosures Have Rental Fraud Cases On The Rise In Florida TCPalm - West Palm Beach, FL
...But Perham didn't know the man he was paying had allowed the house to go into foreclosure in April 2007 — before getting a renter. Perham's landlord didn't own the house...The bank did.
Stewart Title Ltd. Offers Lenders Cover Against Loss Resulting From Mortgage Fraud Business Wire - San Francisco, CA
Mortgage fraud manifests itself in several ways. Some fraudsters choose to alter the deeds to obtain the mortgage or lead the lender to believe that other parties to the transaction are agreeing to the loan. Larger frauds tend to include various parties in collusion to benefit from the illegal mortgage proceeds. By the time the fraud is uncovered, the fraudster will have disappeared with the proceeds of the fraudulent mortgage while the lender faces significant financial loss.
Crisp & Cole To Face Judge Over Alleged Scam TurnTo23.com - Bakersfield, CA
David Crisp, Carl Cole and several of their former employees will face a judge for allegedly taking lenders on a wild ride.
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