Archives For Connecticut

Straw Borrower Fraud Sentencing

Rachel Dollar —  September 9, 2015 — Leave a comment

Jason Calabrese, 44, Watertown, Connecticut was sentenced to six months of imprisonment, followed by three months of home confinement and two years of supervised release, for his involvement in a series of fraudulent mortgage loan applications involving a straw borrower. Calabrese also was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine and $400,585 in restitution.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in November 2005, Calabrese ’s co-conspirator, Thomas Provenzano, obtained a $923,200 loan to purchase a lakefront home located at 27 Palmer Road, Morris, Connecticut, for more than $1.1 million, despite lacking the income to pay off the mortgage. The 27 Palmer Road property was owned by an entity controlled by Ryan Geddes, another co-conspirator. Continue Reading…

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Conviction in Massive Mortgage File Theft

Rachel Dollar —  September 2, 2015 — Leave a comment

Anika N. Greene, 42, Bronx, New York, was convicted by a federal jury on charges of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, access device fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft.

Green was charged in a superseding indicted on July 15, 2014. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Greene and three other individuals, Jeffrey Washington, Alice Howard, and Catya J. Craig, burglarized Wells Fargo mortgage offices throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland in 2012 and 2013. The defendants stole over 1,800 mortgage files that were then used in a variety of bank customer impersonation and retail credit fraud schemes, targeting various banks and retailers. Washington recruited individuals to go into banks, impersonate customers and remove funds via setting up business accounts and transferring funds from the accounts of bank customers. Washington and other defendants, including Greene, traveled from New York to the Eastern District of Virginia on multiple occasions throughout 2012 and 2013. Continue Reading…

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False Advertising Plea in Loan Modification Scam

Rachel Dollar —  August 14, 2015 — 1 Comment

Matthew Goldreich, 46, East Lyme, Connecticut, pleaded guilty in New Haven federal court to a false advertising offense stemming from his production and dissemination of false advertisements for mortgage modification services.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Goldreich used his New London-based media agency, National Media Connection, LLC, to produce and air television, radio, and Internet advertisements for the National Mortgage Help Center, LLC (“NMHC”), a shell company incorporated by Goldreich. The advertisements falsely claimed that NMHC could help struggling homeowners obtain home mortgage loan modifications. For example, one advertisement that aired in 2010 stated: “Attention homeowners. We know it’s tough out there. And while America’s homeowners are facing more challenges than ever before, the National Mortgage Help Center is ready to help.” The same advertisement also stated: “We may be able to lower your rate to as low as 1% and cut your mortgage payment in half. Our trained specialists know all the new regulations to get you quick relief. We help thousands of homeowners every day.” Continue Reading…

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Connecticut Women Gets Probation for Mortgage Fraud

Rachel Dollar —  August 4, 2015 — Leave a comment

Glorvina Constant, 36, New Haven, Connecticut, was sentenced  to one year of probation for participating in a mortgage fraud scheme.  Her husband, Jason Sheehan, 41, New Haven, Connecticut, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for a bankruptcy and tax fraud scheme involving his company, Infinistaff, LLC.  As part of that scheme, Constant received Infinistaff payroll checks totaling $354,000 during the pendency of Infinistaff’s bankruptcy proceedings even though she performed no work for the company. Continue Reading…

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FHA Mortgage Fraud

Woman Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Prison in Real Estate Appraisal Scheme

Allison Tussey —  June 11, 2015 — 1 Comment

Ann Hils, 55, East Hampton, Connecticut, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson to 63 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for operating a real estate appraisal scheme.

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Fraud Enforcement Official Arrested for Submitting False Application for Loan Modification

Allison Tussey —  May 20, 2015 — Leave a comment

Lynwood Patrick, Jr., 39, East Hartford, Connecticut, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with wire fraud in connection with his submission of a fraudulent application for a personal mortgage modification. Continue Reading…

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Real Estate Broker

Three Individuals Charged with Defrauding Banks

Allison Tussey —  March 23, 2015 — Leave a comment

Brett C. Lillemoe, 45, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pablo Calderon, 59, Darien, Connecticut, and Sarah Zirbes, 39, Minneapolis,  were charged by a federal grand jury with conspiracy, fraud and money laundering offenses related to a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud banks.

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Real Estate Agent Sent to Prison for Mortgage Fraud Conspiracy

Allison Tussey —  February 27, 2015 — Leave a comment

Asm Afsary, 42, Stamford, Connecticut, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to defraud financial institutions through an extensive mortgage fraud scheme that involved more than 20 properties in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

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Former Corrections Officer Jailed for Mortgage Fraud Scam

Allison Tussey —  February 10, 2015 — Leave a comment

Ronald Hutchison Jr., 52, Hopewell Junction, New York, a former corrections officer, was sentenced to 28 months in prison for his role in a down payment mortgage fraud scheme arising from the purchases of more than 50 properties in New Haven, Connecticut.

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Real Estate Agent Jailed for Mortgage Fraud

Allison Tussey —  January 20, 2015 — 1 Comment

Menachem Yosef Levitin (a/k/a Joseph), 29, New Haven, Connecticut, both a property manager and real estate agent, was sentenced to 22 months in prison for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme arising from the purchases of more than 40 properties in New Haven.

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