Monday
09Nov2009
Tampa area Mortgage Fraud Defendants
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 12:15PM - Bakowski, Peter
, Mortgage Broker, Pled: Mortgage broker orchestrated a Ponzi Scheme involving more than 30 investors - some as old as 90 and 91. - Bentley, Roger
, Multiple Borrower, Charged: Bentley allegedly inflated his monthly income by more than 300% to defraud a lender and secure a mortgage he was financially unqualified for. - Brower, Corey
, President of Mortgage Company, Pled: Husband and wife together orchestrated a mortgage fraud scheme that caused a loss of about $68,500,000 to financial institutions and about $9,500,000 to HUD. - Brower, Sandi
, Officer of Mortgage Company, Pled: Husband and wife together orchestrated a mortgage fraud scheme that caused a loss of about $68,500,000 to financial instructions and about $9,500,000 to HUD. - Cole, Steven David
, Multiple Borrower, Charged: Cole allegedly secured a $300,000 loan by falsely inflating his monthly income. - Cortes, Anibal
, Multiple Borrower, Pled: Cortes obtained two loans on condos after he lied about his employment information. - Cortes, Jorge
, Multiple Borrower, Pled: Cortes obtained two loans in excess of $400,000 by inflating his monthly income and disguising a family loan as his bank account balance. - Fabry, Michelle
, Real Estate Agent, Charged: Closing agent allegedly concealed that the financial institution was providing 100% financing when it believed that the buyer was making a substantial down payment. - Farinha, Jose F.
, Multiple Borrower, Charged: Farinha allegedly provided a false and unfiled tax return to support his mortgage loan application. - Gates, Lakeisha
, Worked at Mortgage Company, Pled: Participated in a scheme in which she would buy properties using false income and employment information. - Griffin, Randy
, Title Agent, Pled: Title agent lied on mortgage application about $532,500 down payment, allowing the buyer to secure a nearly $1.5 million mortgage. - Horvath, Klara
, Real Estate Agent, Sentenced: Horvath defrauded lenders out of about $775,000 in mortgage loans they would have not issued by falsifying employment and income data. - Likane, Richard
, Multiple Borrower, Charged: This borrower allegedly secured mortgages by inflating his income - claiming he made more than $12,000 a month when he was actually a self-employed day trader who was losing money. - Lima, Gilberto
, Mortgage Broker, Charged: Mortgage broker allegedly falsified mortgage applicants’ information to qualify them for a loan they otherwise would not have been approved for. - Martinez, Jason
, Mortgage Broker, Charged: Mortgage broker allegedly provided false information in support of numerous mortgage applications in a property-flipping scheme. - Murillo, Jessica
, Investor, Charged: Murillo allegedly claimed significantly inflated monthly income by using false and unfiled income tax returns to support her mortgage application. - Porcelli, Peter
, Founder of Non-Profit “Rescue” Corporation, Charged: Under the guise of foreclosure assistance, Porcelli allegedly used non-profit organizations to swindle distressed homeowners. - Sanchez, Beatriz
, Borrower and Notary Public, Charged: Sanchez allegedly used one piece of property as collateral to secure numerous loans, indicating each time that the property was not already encumbered. - Scott, Eric
, Co-Owner of Mortgage Company, Charged: Scott allegedly allowed false information to be used on mortgage applications and engaged in a nominee buying scheme intended to defraud lenders. - Scott, Gretchen
, Co-Owner of Mortgage Company and Mortgage Broker, Charged: Scott allegedly allowed false information to be used on mortgage applications and engaged in a nominee buying scheme intended to defraud lenders. - Shefkenov, Strahil
l, Multiple Borrower, Charged: Shefkenov allegedly lied on his mortgage applications, claiming he was a U.S. citizen. - Socorro, Jorge
, Manager of Mortgage Company, Charged: Allegedly took part in a pyramid scheme involving fraudulently obtained mortgages. - Stapleton, Christopher
, Multiple Borrower, Charged: Stapleton allegedly bought numerous properties using false income information, and he allegedly inflated the purchase price. - Straub, William
, Mortgage Broker, Charged: Straub, along with some co-conspirators, allegedly defrauded a lending institution out of millions by falsifying the purchase price of homes. - Stringer, Thomas
, State Judge/Borrower, Pled: Stringer lied about the source of a down payment, claiming it was his money, when, in fact, it was borrowed. - Valentin, Nestor
, Loan Processor, Charged: Allegedly inflated the sales price and lied about his employment and income information on the mortgage application. - Watson, Roy
, Multiple Borrower, Charged: Watson allegedly secured nearly $700,000 in mortgage loans after providing false information about his monthly income and intent to occupy the home on the mortgage application. - Wilson, Charles
, Multiple Borrower, Charged: Husband of Lynda Wilson, allegedly attested to the truthfulness of his wife’s inflated income on the mortgage application. - Wilson, Lynda
, Multiple Borrower, Charged: Wilson allegedly inflated her legitimate income to lenders to induce them to loan funds.


