The Mortgage Fraud Blog

In the following press release United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt announced the indictment and arrest of Micah Bachman, also known as Tyler Jefferies, of Lake Forest, California, for bank fraud, false statements on loan applications, false use of a social security account number, money laundering, false statements to a federal officer, and aggravated identity theft. The 18-count indictment was handed up by a federal grand jury sitting in San Diego on March 11, 2008. Mr. Bachman was arrested today, pursuant to a bench warrant issued in connection with the indictment.

According to the indictment, Mr. Bachman created the alter ego of “Tyler Jefferies” and over time built a credit profile for that identity based upon a social security number stolen from a child in Kentucky. Among other things, the indictment alleges that Mr. Bachman created a fake New Mexico driver license for Jefferies and used it to obtain valid driver’s licenses for Jefferies in Utah and California. Using the Jefferies identity, Bachman obtained credit cards and loans and made enough payments, by moving money between and among these accounts and other accounts, to manufacture a credit history and good credit rating for Jefferies.

Then, as charged in the indictment, Bachman obtained a primary and secondary mortgage loan in the total amount of $960,000 from Chase Bank and Flagstar Bank to purchase a residence in Lake Forest, California, through a mortgage broker in San Diego. All of the loans used to create the Jefferies identity and the mortgage loans are in default. Finally, according to Assistant United States Attorney Mitch Dembin, who is prosecuting the case, in connection with the investigation of another series of loans, which resulted in the filing of charges against former NFL player Benjamin Coleman, Mr. Bachman used the identity of a third person, whose identity was stolen and used in that scheme, in discussions with the United States Secret Service in an attempt to deflect the investigation away from him and his associate, Mr. Coleman. Mr. Coleman has been charged separately in Criminal Case No. 07cr3246-DMS pending in United States District Court in San Diego.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the United States Secret Service, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division and Detectives of the San Diego Police Department under the auspices of the San Diego Regional Fraud Task Force.

Mr. Bachman will appear before the Honorable Anthony J. Battaglia, United States Magistrate Judge for arraignment and a bail hearing on March 13, 2008.