Nicholas Mussolini, 27, Williamsville, New York, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of wire fraud before U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara in connection with a fraudulent loan scheme. The charge carries a maximum penalty of a term of 20 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release of three years, and a fine of $250,000.
Harold L. Gruber, 60, Brooklyn, New York, an attorney, and his condominium-developer clients, Joseph Scarpinito, 59, who has a prior federal felony conviction for bank fraud, and Shiraz Sanjana, 54, have been barred pursuant to a court order from doing condo and securities-related work in New York pending the court case. The order enjoins the respondents from engaging in any act directly or indirectly relating to the offer or sale of securities (which includes coops and condos) in or from the State of New York.
James Olivos, 47, Lake Mary, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell to 5 years in federal prison for bank fraud and money laundering.
Jeffrey Morriss, 48, Kansas City, Missouri, a special agent for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), pleaded guilty in federal court to making false statements to FBI agents in regard to a more than $800,000 mortgage fraud scheme.
Henry J. Papale, 62, Southington, Connecticut, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for operating a mortgage fraud scheme.
Jose L. Nino de Guzman, Jr., 30, Seattle, Washington, who operated a Ponzi scheme disguised as real estate investment opportunities in Peru, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 10 years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering.
Erroll Davis, 52, Chicago, Illinois, a former police lieutenant who allegedly played a role in a mortgage fraud scheme has pleaded guilty to to one count of making false statements in a tax return.
Vadim Vilchitsa, 32, Sacramento, California, was sentenced by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to 15 months in prison, and Yevgeniy Y. Zazhitskiy, 39, North Highlands, California, was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Restitution will be set at a hearing on January 29, 2014.
Lillian Marquez, 38, and Michael Keatts, 56, both of Stockton, California, were arrested in their homes for a mortgage fraud scheme. A federal grand jury indictment charged them with conspiring to commit mortgage fraud and with nine counts of mail fraud. The indictment was unsealed upon their arrests.
Frank Mete, 55, Berlin, Connecticut, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez in Hartford to fraud and tax evasion offenses stemming from an investment fraud scheme.