Kevin Patrick Sluga, 60, and his wife, Leslie Sluga, 57, Bakersfield, California, have been sentenced for their roles in the Crisp & Cole mortgage fraud scheme wherein the defendants and other individuals defrauded lenders by causing materially false and fraudulent statements to be submitted in mortgage loan applications and related documents to obtain loans from lenders for property purchases.
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Bonnie Lynn Recinos, aka Bonnie Farr, 54, Mesa, Arizona, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for her role in soliciting investors in various real estate projects then misappropriating their funds for her personal use.
Armando Granillo, 45, Huntington Beach, California, a former sales associate with the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for taking kickbacks from a real estate broker who sold properties on behalf of the mortgage agency.
Leonard E. Williams, 52, Sacramento, California, was found guilty after a six–day trial in a mortgage fraud case of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. The trial was held before United States District Judge William B. Shubb.
Charles Espinel, 61, and Jeannette Espinel, 58, Daly City, California, a former 32 year FBI employee and his wife, pleaded guilty in federal court to Bank Fraud charges for their roles in securing mortgages based on fraudulent loan applications.
Donald Keith Goff, 66, Laguna Niguel, California, has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a series of fraud schemes that include one in which he worked with his criminal defense attorney to fraudulently apply for millions of dollars of loans using a straw buyer.
**** UPDATE: APRIL 20, 2020: On April 15, 2019, after a nine day jury trial, Damon Grant Carriger was found NOT GUILTY on Count 5,8,10-11,14,17-18,21-22. Aminullah Sarpas was found GUILTY on Count 1,5,8,10-11,14,17-18,21,24, and NOT GUILTY on Count 31. The jury DEADLOCKED on count 1 for Carriger and count 22 for Sarpas and the court declared a mistrial as to those counts. (Count 1 is Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud; Counts 2 through 27 are mail fraud, counts 28 through 31 are wire fraud, counts 32 and 33 are money laundering.)
Count 1 was retried as to Damon Grant Carriger and, following a four day jury trial on that count, on February 24, 2020, Damon Grant Carriger was found NOT GUILTY.
On August 31, 2015, Louis Saggiani pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. The docket contains multiple documents filed under seal. The trial memorandum filed by the government indicates that both Saggiani and Samuel Paul Bain had pled guilty. None of the defendants have been sentenced.
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Samuel Paul Bain, aka Paul Bain, 35, Tustin, California, an owner and principal of the businesses, Aminullah Sarpas, aka Amin Sarpas and David Sarpas, 32, Irvine, California, also an owner and principal of the businesses, Damon Grant Carriger, 36, Corona, California, the principal sales manager, and Louis Saggiani, 64, Huntington Beach, California, the manager and chief accountant, have been arrested for allegedly offering bogus loan modification programs to financially distressed homeowners.
Kevin Lauricella, 29, Thousand Oaks, California, a former Bank of America employee was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for taking more than $1.2 million in bribes to approve artificially low-price short sales of properties on which the bank held mortgages.
Jason George Rivera, Jr., 35, and Marc Christopher Harmon, 41, both of the East Bay, California, have been indicted and charged with eight counts of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly promising investors that their money would be used to fund efforts to purchase or trade collateralized mortgage obligations, fund short-term loans to banks, or invest in other ways.
Barbra Alexander, 66, Monterey, California, was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay $6,306,770.96 in restitution following a trial in which she was convicted for her role in an investment fraud.