Tuesday, January 13, 2009

DC Man Sentenced to 150 Months In Prison For Forging Deeds

Duane McKinney, 36, Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 150 months in prison on charges of fraud, theft, and monetary transactions.

McKinney was found guilty on Thursday, April 17, 2008, of four counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud, three counts of First Degree Theft, and two counts of monetary transactions. He was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before the Honorable Judge Reggie B. Walton to 150 months on the wire and mail fraud counts, 120 months (to be served concurrently) on the monetary transaction counts, and 60 months (to be served concurrently) on the D.C. theft counts. Judge Walton also ordered the defendant to pay $912,630.75 in restitution and to forfeit to the United States three luxury vehicles and two real properties; the court also ordered two money judgments in the amounts of $770,872 and $59,000.

A co-defendant, Joe D. Liles, Upper Marlboro, pleaded guilty on January 16, 2008, to a D.C. charge of false statements. Judge Walton sentenced Liles on Tuesday, January 6, 2009, to 180 days, execution of sentence suspended, three years probation, and to pay restitution of $691,587.

The government’s evidence at trial established that Duane McKinney obtained title to about $1 million worth of D.C. and Maryland properties through forged deeds, that is, deeds which purported to be signed by the owners transferring the properties to McKinney or his shell business. In fact, the deeds were not signed by the owners; the vast majority of the owners were deceased at the time of the forged and false deeds. McKinney was assisted by Joe D. Liles, who would sign his name to these false deeds as the notary falsely stating that he saw the owner sign the deeds as grantor and that the owner personally appeared before him. Once the deeds were notarized, McKinney would then sell the properties as if they belonged to him or his business and would use the money for himself. Some of those who purchased the homes lost all of their purchase money; others whose families owned the homes for generations were required to file suit against McKinney to regain their properties.

In announcing the results of this prosecution, U.S. Attorney Taylor, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Persichini, IRS Special Agent in Charge Martin, and DISB Commissioner Hampton commended Special Agents Kelly Bender, FBI, and Ronald D. Williams, IRS, and Annette D. Beresford, formerly a fraud investigator with the Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking. They also noted the assistance of Special Agents Brian Smith (FBI), Lori Garner (IRS), Cindy Buskey (DEA), Aaron Ybarra (ATF), and Deena P. Wilson (Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General) and Arlington County Police Department members James Daniel and Steven Meinke. In addition, they commended paralegal specialists Melanie Howard and Jeanne Latimore-Brown, legal assistant April Peeler, Assistant U.S. Attorneys William R. Cowden, Diane Lucas, Judith A. Kidwell, former Assistant U.S. Attorney James Flood, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who prosecuted the case.

mortgage fraud

1. Bob Thomas of Ellijay, Georgia borrowed $630,000 on my home by forging a security deed with United Community Bank.

   I need help.

   Posted by  on  01/15  at  05:42 AM

2. A lawyer forged a deed to my Dallas Downtown property 212 Reunion Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75201,and traded it for another property blocks away.
   Need help.

   A law firm committed faud upon the court during a court proceeding and failed to appear in court with their clients over a claim to my home;they lost their counterclaim. Now, there is a realestate sign in the front yard of my property which is currently vacant and they are trying to sell my home worth 1.5 million. The judge in this case said the lawyers and their clients have all committed crimes against me but that I was in the wrong court.
   Need an attorney who knows how to handle these situations and can do something NOW. Lawyers committing the FRAUD on both properties. No statues of limitations in Texas when a officer of the court (meaning the lawyers)commits a crime in the courtroom and or outside the court.
   Need the best attorney who can take care of this now and stop the sale of my property.

   Posted by  on  01/18  at  05:33 AM

3. Tikiri Mayu Bogollogama, a Sri-Lankan conman, ran a similar ponzi scheme here in the District, specifically Georgetown.  He created companies with big fancy development titles, mirrored after large oversees companies.  He then claimed to be the US agent for this company and would use the foreign company’s balance sheets as a means to value his company here.  He sold shares in his US company and would “guarantee” the shares by putting up real estate as collateral. The problem was that he did not own the properties.  He would instead use the money given for the shares to make the purcahse of the property.  Then he would take out private money loans from the property and try repay “interest” to investors.  He would take the additional money from the high interest loans and pay for luxury vehicles, clothes, and dinners.  He then would use the first investor as a marketing tool to get other investors to put in more money for shares.  When he could not purchase properties or repay any money to investors, he claimed he would do an Initial Public Offering for his US Company and repay the investors 10 folds.  This of course never happened and the investors lost their money.  He stopped paying hard money loans, who took back properties, but found out that there were unrecorded liens of the property.  What a scam…

   Posted by  on  04/28  at  09:41 AM