Archives For Investment Scams

Eliyahu Ezagui, 49, a real estate developer in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, and five counts of bank fraud.

According to evidence presented at the trial, and as previously reported on Mortgage Fraud Blog, Continue Reading...

Loius Cherico, 69, Eastchester, New York, a lawyer who practiced in New York City and Westchester County, New York, has been charged with participating in a wide-ranging scheme to commit mortgage fraud, obstruction of justice, and money laundering.

According to the Indictment filed in federal court, from July through December of 2002, Cherico participated in a

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Adam C. Hochfelder, 38, New York, New York, has been arrested and indicted on charges of defrauding investors in two real estate deals, following an investigation by the Manhattan, New York, District Attorney’s Office. The indictment charges Hochfelder with engaging in schemes to steal approximately $2.5 million from investors in his purported acquisition of the Continue Reading...

Kevin Miller, 55, Fairfield, Ohio, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of obstruction of an investigation for his role in a real estate investment fraud scheme between 2005 and 2008 that defrauded approximately 80 victims out of approximately $7.3 million.

According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement,

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Milton Retana, 46, Huntington Park, California, who preyed on Spanish-speaking investors with promises of hefty returns in the real estate bubble has been found guilty of federal charges for bilking more than 2,000 victims out of more than $62 million. Retana was convicted of six counts of mail fraud and one count of making false statements to government agents who were

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James Ragnauth, Beaumont, Texas, a defendant charged in a mortgage fraud case, who was on the run for about six weeks and apprehended on a shrimp boat in the Caribbean Sea by the U.S. Coast Guard in March 2009, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater to 37 months in federal prison. Judge Fitzwater also ordered Ragnauth to pay approximately $205,000 in

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Janet Salazar, a.k.a. Yanet Salazar, 37, Queens Village, New York, a loan officer, has been convicted of stealing the personal identity of a former client to help another client purchase a house in Brooklyn. Salazar was convicted of first-degree identity theft, third-degree unlawful possession of personal identification information and third degree criminal possession of

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Thanh Hoang, 64, Bethesda, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to impede the IRS, arising from a scheme to conceal millions in profits earned from the purchase and sale of foreclosure properties.

According to Hoang’s plea agreement,

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Edward Levinson, 50, Chesterfield, Missouri, pled guilty to bank fraud charges in connection with his construction business, resulting in more than $14 million in losses to banks and prospective home owners and subcontractors.

As previously reported on Mortgage Fraud Blog, according to the indictment, Continue Reading...

BernardB. Kerik, 54, former Commissioner of the New York City Police Department and the Department of Corrections, pleaded guilty in White Plains federal court to eight felonies, two of which were separately charged in an Indictment in the District of Columbia.

Kerik pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing and impeding the due

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