Victor Cedeno, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven to five years in federal prison for his participation in a mortgage fraud conspiracy and for engaging in money laundering. In civil forfeiture proceedings, the Court ordered Cedeno to forfeit in excess of $1.3 million, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense.

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At a time when some homeowners are struggling to pay their mortgages, so-called mortgage relief services have been more aggressive in offering loan modification help. Homeowners are warned of the pitfalls of these offers and a consumer alert was issued to make homeowners aware of new protections from the Federal Trade Commission.

Mortgage “rescue” services or load modification services often promise to deliver lower monthly payments and lower interest rates, aid in short

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Michael Cassadei, 54, Schenectady, New York, was sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy to twenty-seven (27) months in prison, to be followed by three years’ supervised release, for his role as organizer of a local mortgage fraud scheme. Cassadei also was ordered to make full restitution, due immediately, in the total amount of $135,148.45.

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Darin Lee McAllister, 44, Brentwood, Tenn., a FBI Special Agent, was found guilty of 15 counts of wire fraud and three counts of bankruptcy fraud by a jury in United States District Court in Nashville, Tenn. Sentencing was set for March 4, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.

McAllister faces a total of 315 years in prison and $6.5 million in fines. The maximum penalty for each violation of the

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Stuart H. Sojcher, 57, Leominster, Massachusetts, was indicted by a federal grand jury on four counts of wire fraud and six counts of money laundering in connection to a mortgage fraud scheme involving properties in Braintree and Malden, Massachusetts.

According to the

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Brett A. Thielen, 42, Savage, Minnesota, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in federal court in Minneapolis for executing a scheme to defraud mortgage lenders by arranging for the fraudulent purchase of condominiums located in the Sexton Building in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Shirley Wong, aka Ngoc Li Vuong, 42, San Jose, California, a Silicon Valley engineer technician, pleaded guilty  before United States District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill to conspiring to commit mail fraud in connection with the financing and acquisition of two residential properties in Fresno County, California that were later used for the indoor cultivation of large

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Rito Miguel Diaz, Jr, has been sentenced by Judge Philip S. Gutierrez to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons for 24 months as charged in Count One of the Four-Count sealed Indictment. Diaz, Jr was also sentenced to supervised release for three years, a special assessment of $100, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,254,667. Continue Reading...

Melvin Rohs, 64, Nevada City, California, pleaded guilty to three counts of embezzlement by a bank employee and two counts of making a false statement in connection with a loan application.

According to court documents, Rohs was a senior loan officer at a regional bank headquartered in Nevada City,

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Rebecca Moody, 61, formerly of New Port Richey, Florida, was arrested in West Virginia, on charges of wire fraud and transportation of stolen property in connection with a mortgage, and other accounts, belonging to an elderly, disabled victim who resided in New Port Richey, Florida, at the time of the charged offenses. If convicted on all counts, Moody faces a maximum

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