PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A 14-count federal indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Providence charges two individuals, Hasan Hussain, 55, of Princeton, N.J., and Ricardo Abreu, 50, of Cranston, R.I., with allegedly participating in a conspiracy to defraud financial institutions, investors and financially distressed homeowners of at least 14 properties in Providence, Pawtucket and Cranston of fees, rental income, mortgage payment funds, property ownership and/or proceeds from the sale of their properties.

United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha announced today that this indictment represents the latest charges brought in a wide-ranging series of on-going federal criminal investigations into mortgage fraud in Rhode Island. The investigations are being conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service and the Rhode Island State Police Financial Crimes Unit.

To date, 10 individuals have been charged in U.S. District Court in Providence.

United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha commented, “Today’s defendants join their cohorts in facing charges for allegedly manipulating the mortgage lending process in a whole variety of ways. As alleged in the Indictment, the defendants used more than a dozen properties to advance their scheme to defraud, and in some instances, used a single property to defraud and victimize multiple people and entities. As alleged, their creativity was exceeded only by their greed, but their scheme, however complicated, has now been unraveled by law enforcement. The kind of schemes alleged here raise the cost of mortgage lending for all Rhode Islanders, and are therefore deserving of our most concerted law enforcement efforts.”...