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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Sennett H. Swift, 26, Sacramento, California, was sentenced by United States District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton to 15 months in prison. Swift pleaded guilty on January 15, 2008, to felony counts of bank fraud and money laundering.
As previously reported by Mortgage Fraud Blog, Swift admitted that he defrauded two homeowners and the corresponding lenders by fraudulently refinancing the two homes. The purpose of Swift‘s fraud was to receive the substantial loan broker commissions. To accomplish this fraud, the defendant solicited these two homeowners and falsely told them that they would receive loans with favorable terms, such as a low adjustable rate that would not increase above a certain rate cap. He also falsely led the homeowners to believe that their prepayment penalties on their existing mortgages would be rebated by the defendant. Actually, Swift knew there would be no rebates and that the rate caps were higher than promised. Additionally, in one of the cases, Swift submitted a forged loan application with forged documents to the lender without the knowledge or consent of the homeowner. In addition, the loan application contained false statements regarding the eligibility of the homeowner for the loan, such as wages inflated above her true wages.
In addition to a 15 month prison sentence, Judge Karlton also ordered the defendant to pay as restitution the $38,843.53 he obtained from lenders as loan broker commissions. Investigating agents seized approximately $30,000 from the defendant that Judge Karlton ordered forfeited. The defendant had $3,400 in cash on him when he was arrested at the Sacramento International Airport. In addition, agents seized $27,441 just after the defendant’s arrest from the defendant’s two bank accounts. Upon release from prison, the defendant will be on supervised release for 3 years.
Only 15 months for bank fraud, document forgery and money laundering? Not bad, considering that thanks to these “agents,” those of us who gave our clients fair and legal deals, are now considered a notch above rattlesnakes and used car salesmen and just below blackwidows and worms.
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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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.