Steven J. Kottage, 45, Weston, Connecticut, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Mark R. Kravitz in New Haven, Connecticut, to two counts of conspiracy stemming from mortgage fraud schemes in which Kottage participated. As previously reported by Mortgage Fraud Blog,
Continue Reading...Homeowners are cautioned about paying to participate in a “mass joinder” lawsuit promising mortgage relief. The lawyers and marketers pushing these suits charge upfront fees and frequently promise results. In reality, litigation is time-consuming and even a qualified attorney can’t guarantee the outcome of a case. Moreover, representatives of a legitimate class-action suit would not ask for money to join.
Homeowners should be especially skeptical of solicitations from out-of-state
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Derrick Reuben Smith, 46, Midwest City, Oaklahoma, has been found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with mortgage loans. The jury returned its verdict after four days of trial.
According to an indictment returned in July of 2010, Smith recruited two individuals to buy two new homes in the Raintree Acres
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Luis Miguel Macias, 40, Rialto, California, was arrested on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, by investigators from the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office-Real Estate Fraud Prosecution Unit in the hallway of the San Bernardino County Superior Courthouse.
Macias had been out on bail facing felony charges in another real estate related fraud case when investigators
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Todd Joyce, 38, Hurricane, Putnam County, West Virginia, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Thomas E. Johnston on federal mortgage fraud and tax evasion charges. He will also serve five years on supervised release after his prison term. As previously reported by Mortgage Fraud Blog, Continue Reading...
Gina Marie Tarallo, 44, formerly of Rancho Cucamonga, California, was sentenced on April 14, 2011, to 365 days in the county jail as part of a plea agreement. The court ordered restitution. Tarallo pleaded to one felony count of Grand Theft and one felony count of Filing a Forged Document with the County Recorder’s Office.
In 2007, Continue Reading...
John Bryk, 61, Trumbull, Connecticut, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Janet C. Hall in Bridgeport to one count of conspiracy to make a false statement in a Department of Housing and Urban Development transaction.
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Uniform Settlement Statement (HUD-1) is an official financial statement reflecting how money is to be distributed
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Ijeoma Okoh, 32, Newark, New Jersey, a former employee of the Essex County Division of Welfare was sentenced for falsifying employment records in order to qualify for a $357,050 loan to buy a home in Newark, New Jersey. Okoh was sentenced to two years of probation by Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin in Essex County.
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Richard Wayne Hope, 53, Denham, Louisiana, formerly of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in connection with a $1.75 million loan he obtained on behalf of a company.
According to his plea agreement, Richard Hope and his brother, Otis Hope, the senior pastor for Continue Reading...
Dema Daiga, 29, College Park, Maryland, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marvin C. Garbislate to 65 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for defrauding a mortgage lending company in connection with six Baltimore, Maryland, properties. Daiga‘s sentence also included two counts of aggravated identity
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