(USAO, CT) Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that MICHELLE LEFAOSEU, also known as “Michelle Bennett,” “Michelle Lee” and “Michelle Page,” 42, of Huntington Beach, Calif., was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for participating in an extensive mortgage loan…

(Source: A new report from a government watchdog shows that mortgage servicers’ delays in foreclosing on properties and subsequent delays in the conveyance of those properties to the Federal Housing Administration may have cost the FHA as much as $2.23 billion in unnecessary payouts. The report, issued late last week by the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, found that HUD paid claims for an estimated 239,…

(Source: USAO, CT) Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that KOWIT YUKTANON, also known as “Eric Cannon” and “Aaron Brock,” 32, of Huntington Beach, Calif., and CUONG HUY KING, also known as “James Nolan” and “Jimmy, 32, of Westminster, Calif., have each been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised…

(Source: beverlyreview.net) A third of four men charged last year with squatting in several Beverly/Morgan Park homes has been found guilty. Torrez Moore, 57, was convicted on Oct. 21 of Class X theft, Class X financial institution fraud and continuing a financial crimes enterprise following a three-day trial at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building, 2600 S. California Ave. Moore, along with David Farr, was charged in July 2015; that December,…

(Source: USAO, CT) Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that VICTOR CUEVAS, 52, of Bristol, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to one year of probation and a $1,000 fine for conspiring with others to commit bank fraud in connection with his home mortgage loan applications. According to court documents and statements made in court, in the summer of 2013, CUEVAS,…

BOSTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached a $1,025,000 civil settlement with First American Mortgage Trust, d/b/a NXTLoan.com, a small mortgage lender based in Brighton, Mass., and its founder and CEO, Barry S. Polack, in connection with allegations that they submitted false insurance claims on mortgages insured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The settlement resolves…

(Source: USAO, NY) BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Alagi Samba, 46, of Bronx, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution, before U.S. District Judge Laurence J. Vilardo. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen A. Lynch and Elizabeth Moellering, who are handling the case, stated that…

(Source: nj.com) A former West New York commissioner will spend about a year on house arrest for collecting nearly $150,000 in rental income while being in default of a federal mortgage loan. Ruben Vargas pleaded guilty to equity skimming in May after obtaining a $417,449 loan through the Department of Housing and Urban Development to buy a two-family home at 5512 Grant Place. Vargas collected about $3,000 each month in rental income from the…

(USAO, CT) Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHN VESCERA, 60, of Dana Point, Calif., was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for false advertising and misusing a government seal in connection with the provision of mortgage modification services. According to court…

(Source: USAO, TN) Memphis, TN – A real estate investor has been charged in a 14-count indictment that alleges he defrauded three banks and a mortgage lending business. Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the indictment today. According to the indictment, Thomas L. Boyd, 43, of Memphis, Tennessee, owned a real estate agency, Wonderful Properties, LLC. Between April 2006 and September 2014, Boyd…

Regions Bank (Regions) has agreed to pay $52.4 million to the United States to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly originating and underwriting mortgage loans insured by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that did not meet applicable requirements, the Department of Justice announced today.  Regions is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.…

(Source: USAO, CT) Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MEHDI MOAREFIAN, also known as “Michael Miller,” 37, of Irvine, California, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 52 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for participating in an extensive mortgage loan modification scheme.  MOAREFIAN also was ordered to pay…

(Source: USAO CT) Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that two California residents involved in an extensive mortgage loan modification scheme were sentenced today in Bridgeport federal court.  U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill sentenced SERJ GEUTSSOYAN, also known as “Anthony Kirk,” 34, of Santa Ana, to 52 months of imprisonment, and DANIEL SHIAU, also known as “Scott Decker,” 30, of…

(Source: USAO, VBA) ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Five California men have been sentenced for their roles in a nationwide home loan modification scam that victimized over 400 homeowners and families, resulting in a total loss of over $3.8 million. Roscoe Umali, 38, of Santa Ana, California, was sentenced on August 18 to 220 months in prison for leading the multi-state conspiracy.  Umali was also ordered to forfeit $3.8 million and to make…

BOSTON – The president and founder of a former Falmouth mortgage company has been charged with defrauding the Government National Mortgage Association out of nearly $3 million. Robert Pena, 67, was charged Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston. Pena, the president and founder of the now-defunct mortgage company, Mortgage Security, Inc. (MSI), was indicted on conspiracy and wire fraud charges. He was arrested today and will appear in before…

(Source: USAO, MA) BOSTON – The president and founder of a Falmouth mortgage company was charged in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with defrauding the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) out of nearly $3 million. Robert Pena, 67, the president and founder of the now-defunct mortgage company, Mortgage Security, Inc. (MSI), was indicted on conspiracy and wire fraud charges.  Pena was arrested today and will…

(Source: USAO, PA) SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Sherman Hills Realty LLC and Park Management LLC (collectively referred to as “Sherman Hills Realty”), have agreed to pay $125,000 to resolve allegations that Sherman Hills Realty violated the False Claims Act. The United States alleges that Sherman Hills Realty failed to provide qualifying tenants with utility…

(Source: wreg.com) MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Employees were back to work Thursday at the Cordova headquarters for Global Ministries Foundation, but a day after federal raids, it's hard to say if it was business as usual. Despite employees being present, nobody at GMF's offices would speak on camera. Richard Hamlet was no where to be found. When WREG went by his Cordova home, we heard dogs barking in the background, but no one answered the door. It all…

(Source: USAO MA) BOSTON – A former maintenance technician for Roxse Homes, a subsidized housing development in Boston, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston for his role in a scheme to rent apartments at the housing development to individuals who were not qualified, in exchange for cash bribes. Ismael Morales, 36, of Jamaica Plain, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris to two years in prison and two…

(USAO, MA) BOSTON – Edward J. Tutunjian, who has owned and operated Boston Cab for more than four decades, was charged today in U.S. District Court with payroll tax evasion, employing illegal aliens and with failing to pay overtime wages. Tutunjian’s company, EJT Management, Inc., through which he operated Boston Cab, also was charged with defrauding the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by enabling EJT employees to obtain…