James Lee Lankford, 74, formerly of Modesto, California, a real estate broker, pleaded guilty to seven counts of mail fraud in connection with a mortgage fraud scam that looted elderly homeowners and lending institutions of millions of dollars.
Bonnie Kathleen Kreamer, a/k/a Bonnie Meehan, 47, Riva, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit wire fraud in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme which resulted in losses of more than $4.8 million.
Keith Michael Courtney, 31, Albuquerque, New Mexico, a real estate broker, and Jason Johns, 40, Albuquerque, New Mexico, a loan officer, will be serving federal prison sentences for their wire fraud convictions.
James G. Berghius, 41, Sacramento, California, was convicted by a federal jury after a three day trial of four counts of mail fraud, four counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering related to a Ponzi scheme that he operated.
Myra Holmes, 56, Vallejo, California, was sentenced on October 7, 2013, to 27 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay over $196,000 in restitution on bankruptcy and mortgage fraud related changes..
Patrick J. Mansell, 68, Boca Raton, Florida, Vice President of Coastal States Mortgage Corporation, was sentenced to a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Mansell previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud to defraud government sponsored entities, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Quelyory A. Rigal, 38, Homestead, was sentenced to 200 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge William J. Zloch.
Nathan Levner, 54, Oceanside, New York, has been charged with stealing $10,000 from a couple he was representing in the purchase of a new home.
Yvonne DeBenedetto, 46, Bay Shore, New York, an attorney, has been sentenced to two to six years in prison after she pleaded guilty to stealing more than $573,000 from clients who hired her to represent them in real estate deals.
James Kalpakis, 52, Old Westbury, New York, a disbarred attorney, has pleaded guilty to the top count against him after being charged with stealing more than $4 million from multiple individuals and banks he was representing in real estate deals, including his own wife.