July 10, 2009
Freddie's Tips
Freddie Mac advised lenders it buys loans from to be vigilant in their efforts to detect fraud through their origination practices. The secondary lender laid out a number of steps seller-servicers should follow.
read bulletin at FreddieMac.com
FBI Tips
Among several fraud prevention tips recently offered by the FBI was the old saying, "If it sounds too good to be true -- it probably is."
read full FBI announcement
|
July 7, 2009
Mortgage Fraud Headed Higher
During fiscal 2008 -- which ended on Sept. 30 -- 63,713 mortgage fraud Suspicious Activity Reports were referred to law enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said today in its 2008 Mortgage Fraud Report.
read full article at MortgageDaily.com
|
July 3, 2009
NY Fraud Task Force Formed
The district attorney of Westchester County, N.Y., has formed a task force to to actively investigate mortgage fraud and is seeking $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Justice.
read full story at Westchester.com
|
June 29, 2009
PA Passe Fraud Legislation
Two new laws passed in Pennsylvania are designed to prevent a repeat of the kind of fraud committed by Wesley Snyder -- who tricked borrowers into sending payments to him under the false premise that he would pay down their loans early.
read story from Harrisburg Times
read story from Associated Press
Reporting Mortgage Fraud
Residents in the Indianapolis are should report suspected mortgage fraud to either the FBI's local field office, the state attorney general's consumer protection division or the local HUD office.
read full story at the The Star
|
June 24, 2009
Convicted Fraudster Busted for Bigamy
Victor Clavizzao, who had already been convicted of mortgage fraud in a $5 million scheme, married for the fifth time even though he hadn't divorced his first or fourth wives.
read story at the Sun Sentinel
|
June 23, 2009
Florida Fraud Fight
Police in Miami-Dade County made fighting mortgage fraud a top priority as early as 2006.
read story at Huffington Post
|
June 22, 2009
Fraud Avoidance Tips
Among tips outlined for avoiding mortgage fraud were to be careful what you sign, be wary of direct solicitation and get professional advice.
read story at Examiner.com
|
June 17, 2009
First American Acquires Mortgage Fraud Firm
First American CoreLogic announced today the acquisition of BasePoint Analytics LLC -- a firm that specializes in mortgage fraud prevention.
read full story at MortgageDaily.com
Gov Report Gives Safe Harbor on Info Sharing
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said financial institutions will be shield from civil liability under the Patriort Act if they share information with each other about crimes such as mortgage fraud.
read full Dow Jones story
|
June 16, 2009
Interthinx Appeals to Treasury Secretary
Interthinx outlined key mortgage fraud issues facing the industry in a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geither and others on Capitol Hill.
read press release
|
June 15, 2009
Delaware Forms Fraud Task Force
Delaware's attorney general's office forme a mortgage fraud task force.
read story at The News Journal
Texas AG Discusses Mortgage Fraud
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott talked about the growing problem of mortgage fraud. He hosted a recent conference that enabled participants, including government agents, the private sector and other organizations -- shared information on attacking mortgage fraud.
read full story at KERA
|
|
| Date |
Defendants |
State |
Amount |
Overview |
News
Publication |
| July 10 |
William 'Bill' Anastapolous, Tucson Mortgage LLC, Darren Breen, Dave Klein, Amaury Leon, Thomas Piazza, Andrew Silverstein, Vince Volpe, Anthony Zandonatti, AZI Rent2Own, RTOSearch.com, AZIRent2Own LLC dba Arizona Investments, VinLan Ventures LLC dba RE/MAX All Executives, WGA Enterprises LLC dba RE/MAX All Executives |
AZ |
unknown but investors bilked out of as much as
$10,000,000 |
Civil complaint accuses defendants of hiding borrower liabilities. |
Arizona Daily Star |
| July 9 |
AFG FINANCIAL GROUP INC., MARIA ALBERTINA, AARON HAND, EDMOND BEROOKHIM, EUGENE CULBREATH, CHRISTOPHER CARR, ERIC SHIELDS, PATRICK KUHL, MATTHEW MCDERMOTT FRED LAX, MARC ZIROGIANNIS, STEPHEN MARTINI, KENNETH LAW, FRANK MIALE, KATHLEEN SCANLON, GIOVANNI MUNIVE, JEFFREY PHELAN, JENNIFER SCHIFF, JERRY STRKLJA, WAYNE SISMAN, MARILYN MATEO, SHARON THOMPSON, DARLITA BOSTIC, SALVATORE TRAPANI, ALLYSON HINDS, RAJMOHAN AUTAR |
NY |
$100,000,000 |
Mortgage broker defrauded New Century, Countrywide, Wells Fargo, American Brokers Conduit, Bank of America, GreenPoint, Saxon and SunTrust. |
MortgageDaily.com |
| July 9 |
Edward Tate, Richard Watts, Louis Lynch, Richard Allen, Craig Covert, Rodney Dumas, Derek Walker, Fidelity Funding |
MI |
$1,000,000 |
7 defendants charged. |
Detroit Free Press |
| July 9 |
Marlon Pratt, Universal Mortgage Inc. |
MN |
$3,000,000 |
Jury finds defendant guilty. |
Minnesota Pulbic Radio |
| July 9 |
Lin Gosman |
FL |
$350,000 |
Sentence pending for wife of former health care magnate. |
Daily News |
| July 9 |
Marvin G. Hampton |
IN |
Unknown but restitution of:
$262,425 |
1-year sentence. |
IBJ
Indianapolis Star
|
| July 8 |
AFG Financial Group, Aaron Hand, Eugene Culbreath, Eric Shields |
NY |
$100,000,000 |
13 suspects charged, 12 already pleaded guilty. Total could reach $200 mil. Victim lenders include New Century Mortgage Corp, WaMu/Long Beach Mortgage Co, Countrywide Financial, First Franklin Financial Corp and Mortgage Network USA Inc., Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co. |
CNNMoney
Reuters
Bloomberg
New York Times
|
| July 7 |
Jim McConville, Nicole McConville |
CA |
unknown but 1 investor straw buyer on
$10,000,000 |
Father and daughter accused in investment scheme. |
ABC7 I-Team |
| July 7 |
Ha-Duyen Thi Le, Jet City Mortgage |
WA |
scam generated
$230,000 |
Sentencing in case involving marijuana scheme. |
SeattlePI.com
Seattle Times
|
| July 7 |
Carol Smith, Sharon Cox, Marilyn Brookins, Carolyn Turbeville, Arnold Patterson, Elaine Gaither, Kasib Husain, Curtis Bloxson |
OH |
$2,924,000 |
Guilty plea in case where Meritage Mortgage defrauded. |
Examiner.com
Plain Dealer
|
| July 6 |
Otis Bevel, Leland S. Levert |
OH |
involved 51 properties |
Guilty plea. |
Plain Dealer |
archived case entries back to 2005
|
