David Higgs, a former Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division of Credit Suisse Group, was sentenced to time served in connection with a scheme to hide more than $100 million in losses in a mortgage-backed securities trading book at Credit Suisse.
Archives For New York
Rodney Walker, 44, Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara, to wire fraud for his role in a scam whereby the defendant promised a standby letter of credit, which he could monetize into $100 million in loans.
Barry Stephen Zornberg, 54, Hauppauge, New York, pleaded guilty at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York, to lying to federal investigators about his role in a million-dollar foreclosure rescue fraud scheme. The scheme ensnared at least 10 families, defrauding them of approximately $1.3 million in home equity and caused some of them to lose their homes.
Ralph Pecorale, Long Island, New York, a real estate lawyer, has been cleared of mortgage fraud charges after a Brooklyn, New York, Supreme Court judge dismissed an 18-count indictment against him, though the charges against the six other defendants remained in place.
Keith Anthony, 46, Elmont, New York, the former President and owner of a company that purported to provide financing for home purchases to people with poor credit, and a former employee of the company, Anthony Podias, 39, Levittown, New York, have been indicted for their alleged participation in a scheme that victimized more than 100 financially struggling people across the country.
Ifeanyichukwu Eric Abakporo, 52, a Nigerian citizen, now a resident of Queens, New York, and a pastor at a Bible Church, has been sentenced to six years in prison for his role in a real estate fraud scheme wherein he swindled a multi-million dollar property from an elderly woman.
Joseph Del Valle, 59, Aventura, Florida, an owner and partner of various investment companies, including Vanquish Acquisition Partners LLC and PM Capital Management LLC, which were based in Manhattan, New York, surrendered on charges of wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy for operating a fraudulent scheme related to a Florida real estate development project.
Adam J. Manson, 42, Old Westbury, New York, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud for engaging in a $96 million Ponzi scheme with co-defendant and former investment fund manager Brian R. Callahan. The defendants diverted millions of dollars of investor funds towards the Panoramic View, an unprofitable 117-unit beachfront resort and residence development.
Manjeet Bawa, 46, Dix Hills, New York, Joseph Ferrara, 70, Long Beach, New York, Eric Finger, 48, Miami, Florida, Joseph Mirando, 54, Centereach, New York, John Petition, 68, Garden City, New York, and Aaron Wider, 50, Copiague, New York, have been charged with carrying out a $30 million bank fraud conspiracy by fraudulently inflating the prices of homes for sale and then obtaining mortgages that far exceeded the true collateral value of properties.
Harold L. Gruber, 60, an attorney, and his law firm, Harold L. Gruber, P.C., Brooklyn, New York, have entered into a settlement to resolve allegations of submitting at least nine fraudulent filings to the Attorney General’s Real Estate Finance Bureau and breaching his fiduciary duties as an escrow agent.