(Source: Miami Herald) The Miami-based Carlisle Development Group, once the state’s biggest developer of affordable housing, had a reputation for building some of South Florida’s finest low-income apartments — including a tower in the historic black neighborhood of Overtown with after-school care and computer labs. What no one knew was that its once-lauded leaders, principals Matthew Greer and Lloyd Boggio, stole tens of millions of dollars in…

NEWARK N.J. – A Nutley, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for his role in a massive mortgage fraud scheme involving multiple properties in Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Kenneth Sweetman, 34, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. Judge…

CHICAGO—A west suburban real estate broker was sentenced today to 16 months in federal prison for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme involving a pair of Chicago apartment buildings. GEORGE DRAVILAS, 37, of Medinah, pleaded guilty in February to one count of bank fraud. In addition to the prison term, United States District Judge Gary Feinerman ordered Dravilas to pay $463,110 in restitution. Judge Feinerman ordered Dravilas to begin serving…

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MALGORZATA KARAS-GOLKA, also known as “Margaret,” 46, of Newington, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for her role in an extensive mortgage fraud conspiracy.  She was also ordered to pay $166,500 in restitution. According to court documents and…

St. Louis, MO – John York was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States through his business, The Mortgage Store, Inc., in 2008. According to court documents, York was a part owner of The Mortgage Store, Inc. (TMS) and the president of Title America. By 2008, TMS was a major mortgage brokering business with offices in four states and hundreds of employees. The main offices were in Westport…

WASHINGTON – Edward Dacy, 76, most recently of West Melbourne, Fla., has been found guilty by a jury of 10 counts of conspiracy, bank fraud, and mail fraud stemming from a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme involving 45 properties and $16 million in mortgage loans used for the purchase of residential real estate in the District of Columbia and Maryland. The verdict, returned March 25, 2015, was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent…

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Edgar Tibakweitira, a/k/a “Edgar Julian,” “Charles Edgar Tibakweitira,” and “Edgar Gaudious Tibakweitira,” age 46, of Severn, Maryland,  today to 57 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, arising from a residential mortgage fraud scheme.  Judge Hazel also ordered Tibakweitira…

NEWARK, NJ—An inspector at the Union City Community Development Agency (UCCDA) today admitted conspiring with contractors to rig the selection process for home improvement, sidewalk replacement and other projects, causing losses of at least $400,000, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Johnny Garces, 52, of Union City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls in Newark federal court to an information charging…

TRENTON, NJ—A Hudson County, New Jersey, man, today admitted to colluding with other contractors to secure projects funded by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. John Youngclaus, 43, of Bayonne, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with theft of $224,250 in government funds. According to…

TRENTON -- The owner of a Bayonne plumbing and heating company admitted in federal court today to colluding with other contractors to secure projects funded by federal grants, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. John Youngclaus, 43, of Bayonne, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan in Trenton to an the theft of $224,250 in government funds. Youngclaus faces up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 when he…

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — An audit report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General said the state of Rhode Island "did not properly administer" federal money given through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, and "as a result, HUD had no assurance that more than $6.3 million ... was effectively and efficiently used." The inspector general recommended that HUD require the state to "repay…

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Alberic Okou Agodio, age 30, of Bethesda, Maryland, on charges arising from a mortgage fraud scheme in which he used the names of immigrants and students, along with false financial information, to obtain approximately $3.8 million in home mortgage loans to buy approximately three dozen row houses in Baltimore, all of which are in default or foreclosure. The indictment was returned on…

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DAVID J. BERTNAGEL, 41, of Thomaston, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to theft and tax charges stemming from his embezzlement of more than $800,000 from the Town of Plymouth. According to court documents and statements made in court, from October 2011 through October 2014, BERTNAGEL was employed as the…

The Dutchess County developer who launched Vineyard Commons in Highland but later declared bankruptcy will be arraigned in federal district court in White Plains today, Tuesday, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Herbert Hadad. Michael Barnett of Hopewell Junction is accused by federal prosecutors of taking kickbacks and inflating invoices as part of a scheme to fraudulently obtain loans insured by the U.S. Department of Housing…

NEW HAVEN, CT—A property manager and real estate agent was sentenced today to 22 months in prison for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme arising from the purchases of more than 40 properties in New Haven, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced today. Menachem Yosef Levitin (a/k/a Joseph), 29, of New Haven, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall on July 5, 2012, to an information charging him with conspiracy…

STATESVILLE, N.C. B Roger Dean Bailey, Jr., 41, or Hickory, N.C. was sentenced to 30 months in prison today for his role in a mortgage and consumer fraud conspiracy involving manufactured and modular homes, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Richard L. Voorhees also ordered Bailey to serve two years under court supervision and to pay restitution, the amount of which will be…

WASHINGTON –   Edward Dacy, 76, of West Melbourne, Fla., and A. Conrad Austin, 49, of Bowie, Md., have been indicted on conspiracy, bank fraud, and other federal charges stemming from a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme in which they are accused of assisting their co-conspirators to defraud banks and mortgage lenders through the purchase of residential real estate in the District of Columbia and Maryland. The…

This is a USAO District of Maryland Press Release Greenbelt, Maryland – Mokorya Cosmas Wambura, age 45, of Takoma Park, Maryland pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft arising from two separate residential mortgage fraud schemes. The plea agreement was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Cary A. Rubenstein of the Housing and…

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Columbus woman pleaded guilty to embezzling HUD program funds, and filing a false income tax return Thursday. Wendy Harper, 44, Columbus, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to embezzling HUD program funds from her employer, Harvest Management Group, Inc, which manages more than 900 units for elderly and disabled people who qualify for HUD assistance. She also pleaded guilty to filing a false income tax return. According to…

NEWARK — The former executive director of an East Orange-based non-profit developer of low-income housing was arrested today on charges she had embezzled more than $380,000 from the corporation, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement this evening. Lancie Marchan, 64, who headed the East Orange Revitalization and Development Corporation, used the money for trips, hotel stays, visits to casinos and gifts, among other things, the…