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Former NASA employee and husband charged in mortgage fraud scheme

Stephanie Abbott —  December 27, 2023 — Leave a comment

Noreen Khan aka Noreen Khan-Mayberry, 50, and her husband Christopher Mayberry, 51, Missouri City, Missouri have been indicted for orchestrating a fraudulent financing and refinancing mortgage loan scheme.

According to the indictment, returned December 12, 2023, both are charged with one count of conspiracy to make false statements to mortgage loan businesses.

Beginning in 2016, Mayberry and Khan, while still employed at NASA, allegedly took out significant personal loans to fund the purchase of their luxury home before quickly defaulting on those loans. 

According to the charges, the couple allegedly attempted to eliminate and dispute the debts, claiming to be victims of identity theft. Khan allegedly filed a false police report, submitted a false report to the Federal Trade Commission and sent letters to the credit bureaus in order to have the loans removed from her credit. 

As part of the scheme, the couple allegedly signed three separate loan agreements with mortgage lenders related to the financing of their home from 2017 to 2021. 

As part of the loan application process, the couple provided false employment information and fake documents which included pay stubs, tax forms and account statements to lenders, according to the charges.

The Couple surrendered to federal authorities this morning. They are expected to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho at 2 p.m.

U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani made the announcement.

 

If convicted, they face up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine in addition to the possible forfeiture of their luxury home.

NASA’s Office of Inspector General-Office of Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Winter is prosecuting the case. 

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

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Man Sentenced for Quit Claim Deed Forgery

Stephanie Abbott —  January 13, 2022 — Leave a comment

Arondo Harris, Missouri, has been sentenced to a term of 41 months in federal prison for the filing of counterfeit quit claim deeds with the City of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds Office.

According to court documents, between January 9, 2019 and February 6, 2019, Harris presented to the City of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds Office three quit claim deeds that contained the forged signatures of the properties’ true owners. Each of the forged signatures had had been falsely authenticated through the seal and forged signature of a licensed notary public.  The property owners of one of the residences had died prior to the forgery of their signatures.

As a result of the false notarization of the quit claim deeds, representatives of the Recorders Office accepted the deeds as legitimate and falsely recorded Harris as the owner of three residences located in the City of St. Louis.

The Court determined that Harris’ conduct resulted in losses of more than $150,000 to the legitimate owners of the properties. It also determined that Harris caused substantial financial hardship to one of the victims because that individual was left homeless by the fraudulent activities.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and was prosecuted based upon a referral by the Circuit Attorney’s Office for the City of St. Louis.

 

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Scam Targeting Homeowners Facing Foreclosure gets Women Convicted

Stephanie Abbott —  October 1, 2019 — Leave a comment

Sara Cordry, 69, Overland Park, Kansas, was found guilty on Monday of taking part in a scheme to swindle homeowners facing foreclosure with false promises to help them save their homes.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Cordry conspired with co-defendants to take money from victims by fraudulently promising to:

  • Lower their interest rates.
  • Lower their monthly payments.
  • Help them obtain loan modifications.

Investigators identified more than 500 victims in 24 states who suffered a total loss of more than $1 million due to the scheme.

Co-defendants include:

  • Tyler Korn, 30, St. Ann, Missouri, who was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison.
  • Ruby Price, 74, Bonner Springs, Kansas, who is awaiting sentencing.
  • Amjad Daud, 35, Lutz, Florida, who failed to appear at court hearings. A warrant for his arrest has been issued.

Cordry’s sentencing is set for January 9, 2020. She could face up to 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count.

U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister made the announcement.

McAllister commended the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General, the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emilie Burdette and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble for their work on the case.

 

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Guilty Pleas in Scam Targeting Homeowners Facing Foreclosure

Stephanie Abbott —  January 23, 2018 — Leave a comment

Tyler Korn, 28, St. Ann, Missouri, pleaded guilty Monday to charges he and his accomplices swindled homeowners facing foreclosure with false promises to help them save their homes.

In his plea, he admitted he and co-defendants used the address of a UPS store in Overland Park, Kansas, to form Reliant Home Financial Group, a company they operated out of the St. Louis, Missouri metro area.

The indictment alleges the defendants took money from victims and fraudulently promised to:

  • Lower their interest rates.
  • Lower their monthly payments.
  • Help them obtain loan modifications.

When victims received foreclosure notices, the defendants advised them not to worry about it.

Other defendants include:

Amjad Daoud, 33, Lutz, Florida, who is awaiting trial.

Ruby Price, 73, Bonner Springs, Kansas, who is awaiting sentencing.

Korn will be scheduled for sentencing later. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count.

U.S. Attorney Tom Beall made the announcement.

Beall commended the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General, the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emilie Burdette and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble for their work on the case.

 

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Illinois Business Owner and Son Plead Guilty in Commercial Fraud

Rachel Dollar —  July 22, 2015 — Leave a comment

Bruce Swisshelm, 68, Battlefield, Missouri, and his son, Bruce Swisshelm II, 43, Springfield, Missouri pleaded guilty in two separate but related cases, to their roles in a more than $5.5 million bank fraud scheme.  Swisshelm pleaded guilty to bank fraud and money laundering. Swisshelm II pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony. Continue Reading…

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Fake Remodeling Expenses Net Loan Office 14 Months

Rachel Dollar —  July 20, 2015 — Leave a comment

Joseph Brogan, St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced to 14 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $350,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to multiple fraud charges related to a scheme involving applications for home loans.

According to court documents, Brogan was employed as a loan officer for USA Mortgage, Inc. where he handled both conventional mortgages and FHA loans.  Michael Wallis owned and operated a company known as Missouri Builders and Home Remodeling (Missouri Builders), which performed interior construction and remodeling work on houses.  Continue Reading…

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Purported Financial Coach Sent to Prison for Hard Money Lending Scam

Allison Tussey —  May 18, 2015 — Leave a comment

Bryan Binkholder, 43, Wentzville, Missouri, was sentenced to 108 months in prison on multiple fraud charges involving his financial planning and investment strategy businesses. In addition to the prison sentence, he was also ordered to pay $3,655,980 restitution to the victims.

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Man Who Cooperated with Bank Fraud Investigation Sentenced to Probation

Allison Tussey —  April 21, 2015 — Leave a comment

Mark Avalos, 50, St. Peters, Missouri, was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay $497,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to bank fraud charges relating to his work as the controller for The Mortgage Store (TMS) in 2008. In imposing sentence, United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey noted Avalos’s cooperation in the criminal investigation into the collapse of TMS in 2008.

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Man Jailed for Falsifying Net Worth to HUD Auditor

Allison Tussey —  April 8, 2015 — Leave a comment

John York, Wentzville, Missouri, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States through his business, The Mortgage Store, Inc., in 2008.

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Real Estate Business and Principals Sued for Illegal Flipping Scam

Allison Tussey —  April 6, 2015 — 1 Comment

Tri-State Holdings-32, LLC, and principals Brandon Miller and Tony Caldwell, are the subject of a lawsuit for allegedly running a scam house-flipping business. The suit alleges that they quickly flipped homes and sought new buyers to purchase homes already sold to other consumers who had stopped paying. Existing homeowners often found that deeds had not been recorded in their name, offering no protection from the house being resold out from under them.

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