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Archives For April 2025

Real Estate Broker Sentenced For Mortgage Fraud

Stephanie Abbott —  April 30, 2025 — Leave a comment

Maria Del Carmen Montes, 48, Kissimmee, Florida has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for bank fraud.

According to court documents, Montes, co-conspirator Carlos Ferrer, and others created and executed a mortgage fraud scheme targeting financial institutions. Montes assisted clients with purchasing homes and, after signing the real estate contract, referred her buyers to a loan officer at a mortgage company. In order to qualify her clients for mortgage loans for which they were unqualified, Montes transferred the personal identifying and financial information of her clients to Ferrer and directed Ferrer to create fictitious paystubs and W-2s showing false earnings and length of employment for her clients, knowing that her clients never worked for the companies on the fictitious employment documents. After Ferrer created the documents, Montes submitted the fictitious paystubs and W-2s to the financial institutions who relied on them when making underwriting decisions.

On August 13, 2024, Ferrer was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve three years of supervised release for his role in the case.

Montes pleaded guilty on January 4, 2024.

This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.

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Title Company Employee Sentenced in Real Estate Wire Fraud Scheme

Stephanie Abbott —  April 28, 2025 — Leave a comment

Mayela Saby Cantu, 55, McAllen, Texas has been ordered to prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

At the time of her plea, Cantu admitted she knowingly participated in a scheme that used falsified lien payoff statements, fraudulent warranty deeds and deceptive emails to mislead lenders, title companies and property buyers.

From November 2020 until her arrest, Cantu defrauded buyers and lenders in multiple property transactions while working at a McAllen title company. Using her position of trust, she facilitated closings backed by falsified documents. In one notable case, she directed others to create a fraudulent email address resembling that of a legitimate lienholder. Cantu then used the fake account to send false payoff amounts via interstate wires, leading a title company to improperly disburse more than $350,000.

Cantu facilitated additional fraudulent property transactions, including arranging closing on properties that had already been sold and accepting undisclosed cash payments. By concealing the true nature of these deals, she caused significant financial harm to the affected parties.

Cantu was permitted to remain on bond pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Mayela Saby Cantu pleaded guilty Dec. 20, 2024.

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has ordered Cantu to serve 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $350,000 in restitution. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that detailed Cantu’s role in the scheme. The victim also reported the significant loss due to Cantu’s actions and asked the court for a sentence that would operate as a deterrent for others. In handing down the prison term, the court noted the complexity of the scheme and emphasized that Cantu’s role as an escrow officer allowed her to facilitate the scheme.

The FBI, McAllen Police Department and Texas Department of Insurance conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Garcia prosecuted the case.

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