Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, has announced that three former mortgage brokers were among five co-defendants sentenced in federal court for their roles in a $1.2 million mortgage fraud scheme. Charles M. Davis of Rogersville, Mo. was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner on May 17 to four years and three months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Davis to pay $1,271,590 in restitution. Scott Allen Kassebaum of Ozark, Mo.Read more

Mario G. Bernadel, a citizen of Haiti, has been sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison for his conviction on multiple counts for leading a mortgage fraud scheme in Phoenix that cost banks in excess of $9 million. Bernadel was found guilty by a jury in September 2009 on 19 counts related to mortgage fraud, including mail, wire, and bank fraud, and transactional money laundering. Bernadel led a two-year conspiracy involving the purchase of 37 properties using fraudulent loan documents and receiving cash back at closing.Read more

A former California-licensed real estate appraiser was sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $46 million in restitution for her role in a massive mortgage fraud scheme that caused tens of millions of dollars in losses to federally insured banks. Lila Rizk of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. received the three-year prison term after her conviction last summer on conspiracy, bank fraud and numerous loan fraud charges.Read more

Patricia Morgen has pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco to wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, United States Attorney Joseph P.Read more

Massachusetts State Police assigned to Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office have arrested Marblehead, Mass. lawyer Leon Gelfgatt as he allegedly attempted to retrieve over $1.3 million dollars in mortgage funds in connection with a sophisticated mortgage fraud scheme. Gelfgatt, allegedly used false documents to create the appearance that mortgages on several Massachusetts properties which were scheduled for impending sale had been transferred to a fake company allegedly created by Gelfgatt.Read more

A 35-year-old Blaine, Minn. man has pleaded guilty to defrauding CitiMortgage out of $588,200.51 through a mortgage fraud scheme. Appearing before United States District Court Judge John Tunheim in Minneapolis, Jeffrey Michael Taylor pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with this crime. Taylor was charged on Nov. 13.Read more

U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus has sentenced Jennifer McCall, age 48, the chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Money Store, of Fort Washington, Md., to 135 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme that falsely promised to help homeowners facing foreclosure keep their homes and repair their damaged credit, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.Read more

A 15-count indictment has been filed against five defendants charged in a $14.6 million mortgage fraud scheme that resulted in at least 35 fraudulent mortgage loans, announced United States Attorney Michael L. Levy, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Janice K. Fedarcyk, and Pennsylvania Secretary of Banking Steven Kaplan. Charged are Edward G. McCusker and John Alford Bariana, owners of Axxium Mortgage Inc., McCusker’s wife, Jacqueline, and Jeffrey A. Bennett and Stephen G. Doherty, owners of the Doylestown law firm Bennett & Doherty PC.Read more

U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus has sentenced the president of the Metropolitan Money Store, Joy Jackson, age 41, of Fort Washington, Md., to 151 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme that falsely promised to help homeowners facing foreclosure keep their homes and repair their damaged credit, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.Read more

A former Las Vegas resident has been charged with federal conspiracy and fraud charges for his involvement in a Nevada mortgage fraud scheme involving straw buyers and falsified mortgage loan documents, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.Read more