Lisa Torres, 40, formerly of Johnston, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty to a $1.7 million mortgage fraud scheme in which she purchased properties that had recently been foreclosed upon, and then used the names of straw purchasers in sham sales to finagle mortgage financing.
Torres entered her plea before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi in U.S. District Court, Providence.
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Jerry J. Jaquess, 67, Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced to 30 months in prison by Chief Judge David F. Hamilton for his participation in a large mortgage fraud scheme in the Indianapolis area. Jaquess plead guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Today’s sentencing follows a lengthy investigation conducted by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue
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The brother-in-law of Hassan Nemazee, a top political fundraiser for U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was arrested on charges that he helped defraud Citigroup Inc. and HSBC Holdings Plc
Lee Howlett, 45, Portland, Oregon, who had pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering, is set to be sentenced on November 3, 2009. As previously reported by Mortgage Fraud Blog, Howlett
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A Jensen Beach pastor and his wife who were sentenced Tuesday for their roles in a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud scheme face additional charges for allegedly continuing to engage in criminal activity while behind bars.
Adriana Cruz, 27, Miami, Florida, was sentenced by United States District Judge Alan S. Gold on September 18, 2009, for her role in a mortgage fraud scheme that resulted in the granting of two fraudulent home equity loans totaling approximately $1 million.
Cruz received a sentence of 15 months’ imprisonment and, following her prison term, 36 months of supervised release. Judge Gold
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Richard Nazabal, 51, a Rancho Cucamonga, California, real estate agent, was sentenced to nine years in state prison and ordered to pay restitution to his victims as well as Franchise Tax Board. The total amount of restitution is still being determined.
Nazabal pleaded guilty to four counts of grand theft and one count of state income tax evasion.
The Franchise
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Cheryl Brooke, 52, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow to 46 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme in which she and her conspirators offered to help financially vulnerable individuals save their homes from foreclosure, and instead defrauded homeowners and mortgage lenders. Judge Chasanow also
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The scam artist offers to act as an intermediary between you and your lender to negotiate a repayment plan or loan modification and may even “guarantee” to save your home from foreclosure. In reality, the scammer may pocket your money and leave you in worse shape on your loan.
Benjamin Osmanson, 30, California and Sarita, Texas, pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering related to his scheme to defraud mortgage lenders by submitting false loan applications in the names of “investors.” Osmanson was arrested in October 2008 in Texas. His codefendant Jillian
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