HELENA – A Helena real estate agent and property manager who admitted to failing to provide lead-based paint disclosures as required to veterans residing in housing at Fort Harrison, in Helena, which resulted in the exposure of veterans and their families to significant levels of lead, was sentenced yesterday to three years of felony probation and fined $150,000, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.Melanie Ann Carlin, 54, of Clancy, pleaded guilty in…

San Francisco, CA – Today, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that Maggie Pasigan, 49, and Daisy Avalos, 47, both of San Francisco, were charged for defrauding various public benefits providers of over $500,000.  They were both arraigned on March 13, 2025, and each pleaded not guilty.  Ms. Pasigan and Ms. Avalos are each charged with grand theft, welfare fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy.“I would like…

MISSOULA — The former executive director of the Whitefish Housing Authority was sentenced today to four months in prison and four months of home confinement, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $144,842 for embezzling from the organization, which receives federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.The defendant, Dwarne Lamont Hawkins, 46, of…

SAN FRANCISCO – Tjoman Buditaslim, Jose De Jesus Martinez, and Jose Alfonso Tellez were sentenced today to 24 months, 14 months, and 12 months in prison, respectively, for their participation in a mortgage fraud conspiracy.  The sentences were handed down by the Honorable Charles R. Breyer, Senior U.S. District Judge.Buditaslim, 52, of San Francisco, Martinez, 59, of Daly City, Tellez, 27, of San Jose, and a fourth defendant, Travis…

LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the unsealing of a grand jury indictment against the owners of three mortgage brokerage firms and 11 affiliates in a mortgage fraud scheme. Fraudulent loan applications and financial documentation were allegedly used to obtain eight loans totaling $3.69 million. The fraudulent loans were then used by unsuspecting borrowers to purchase properties located in the counties of…

HELENA — Mold Wranglers, Inc., a Kalispell-based company that provides hazardous material mitigation services, today admitted to filing false requests for payment to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs claiming an abatement of lead paint was done at Freedom’s Path Fort Harrison when it was not, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.The defendant, Mold Wranglers, Inc., appeared for arraignment on and pleaded guilty to an information charging one…

HELENA – A Helena real estate agent and property manager today admitted to failing to provide lead-based paint disclosures as required to veterans residing in housing at Fort Harrison, in Helena, which resulted in the exposure of veterans and their families to significant levels of lead, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.The defendant, Melanie Ann Carlin, 54, of Clancy, appeared for arraignment on and pleaded guilty to an information charging her…

MISSOULA — The former executive director of the Whitefish Housing Authority today admitted to embezzling at least $100,000 from the organization, which receives federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.The defendant, Dwarne Lamont Hawkins, 46, pleaded guilty to theft from organization receiving federal funding. Hawkins faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and…

Defendant Allegedly Misrepresented He Was in the Military to Obtain Additional Pay and BenefitsSAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury indicted Omar Naziry, a former employee of a global security and aerospace company, with mail fraud for falsely representing he was in the military to obtain pay and benefits.  The defendant made his initial appearance in the Northern District of California on Sept. 25, 2024.According to an indictment filed…

A California real estate executive was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a fine of $200,000 for engaging in an extensive multi-year conspiracy to falsify financial statements.According to court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Tyler Ross, 38, of San Francisco, and formerly of Michigan, served as co-chief executive officer of ROCO Real Estate LLC and…

Defendant Falsely Claimed Eligibility for Housing VouchersSAN FRANCISCO – Gregory Finkelson was sentenced to one year in prison for theft of government property in connection with his fraudulent receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars in low-income housing benefits, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban…

The City of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $38.2 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly failed to meet federal accessibility requirements when it sought and used Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant funds for multifamily affordable housing.HUD provides grant funds to Los Angeles and other cities to support housing and community development, including building and rehabilitating affordable multifamily housing units.…

Defendant Admitted His Role in a Scheme to Fraudulently Originate More Than $55 Million in Residential Mortgages Using Fake Documents to Fraudulently Boost Loan Applicant IncomeSAN FRANCISCO – Tjoman Buditaslim pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco yesterday to wire fraud conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey; Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), Western Region…

FRESNO, Calif. — German Antonio Lopez-Velasquez, 55, of Modesto, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.According to court documents, German Antonio Lopez-Velasquez, a real estate agent, worked with Lisa Santos, 48, of Long Beach, a mortgage loan officer, and Marko Antonio Lopez, 27, of Modesto, a real estate agent and notary public, to obtain fraudulent mortgage loans for properties…

Defendant Admitted He Lied on Government Forms and Wrongfully Claimed Eligibility for Housing Assistance for More Than a DecadeSAN FRANCISCO – Gregory Finkelson, a San Francisco resident, has pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property in connection with his fraudulent receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars in low-income housing benefits, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey; Federal Bureau of Investigation (…

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Robert Kirby Wells, 64, of Woodland, was sentenced today to two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.According to court documents, Wells served as an insurance broker for a company located in Denver, Colorado, that owned multifamily and commercial properties throughout the United States. Wells was responsible for obtaining several types of insurance coverage for the…