In the following press release Terrence Berg, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan announced that Sandy Robinson, a 50-year-old resident of the City of Detroit, pleaded guilty today to committing bank fraud in connection with a mortgage fraud conspiracy. One of Robinson’s codefendants, Danyell Johnson, pleaded guilty on September 8, 2008; two other indicted co-conspirators, Pierre Greene and Jacque Miller, are awaiting trial. Berg was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The evidence adduced today before the Honorable Gerald E. Rosen established that from July 2005 through February 2006, Sandy Robinson aided and abetted his codefendants and others in obtaining fraudulent mortgage loans totaling approximately $350,000 for properties located at 13329 Flanders, 17174 Joann, 13707 Glenwood, 17160 Fairport and 11072 / 11074 Promenade in the City of Detroit.

For example, on September 12, 2005, to obtain a mortgage for $83,600 on the property at 13329 Flanders in Detroit, Robinson falsely represented that he had been employed by Perfect Choice Cleaning and Maintenance during the previous 3 years with a monthly salary of $3,400, and that he had rented a home at 5304 Rohns. In fact, Robinson was serving a prison sentence in the custody of the Michigan Department of Corrections from April 24, 2003 through April 19, 2005, so he had been neither gainfully employed nor a resident of Detroit during that time period.

The lending institutions relied upon these false statements, as well as upon additional materially false representations by others involved in the mortgage fraud scheme, and extended mortgage loans on the 5 properties. The loans went into default, resulting in losses totaling approximately $350,000 to federally insured financial institutions (including Deutsche Bank Trust Company North Americas).

Acting United States Attorney Berg said, “Mortgage fraud is not only a threat to the economy, but to all American homeowners, and those who dream of one-day becoming a homeowner. My office and the FBI have committed major resources to investigate and prosecute those who have tried to illegally exploit the housing market for their own material gains.”

Sandy Robinson’s sentencing hearing is set for January 26, 2009. A conviction for this offense carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison or a $1,000,000 fine, or both. The sentence will be imposed under the United States Sentence Guidelines according to the nature of the offense and the criminal background, if any, of the defendant.