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…

USAO, Southern District of New York Press Release In Settlement, Bank Admits and Accepts Responsibility for Improperly Approving Thousands of Mortgage Loans for Government Insurance, and Agrees to Implement Enhanced Quality Control Program to Protect Against Future Violations Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Associate Attorney General Tony West, Stuart F. Delery, the Assistant Attorney General for…

United States Attorney District of Connecticut Press Release Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GARI-MARK THOMAS, 38, of Michigan, formerly of Norwalk, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Smith in Hartford to one count of conspiracy to defraud the Federal Housing Authority through a mortgage fraud scheme. According to court…

NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – JPMorgan Chase Bank has agreed to pay $614 million to settle a False Claims Act lawsuit, but it is unclear how much of that will be paid to a whistleblower who brought suit against the company. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the settlement, which resolves allegations that JPMorgan Chase improperly approved thousands of residential home mortgage loans for government insurance and refinancing. The…

USAO District of Connecticut Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 28, 2014 Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MARC JEAN, 44, a citizen of Haiti residing in Norwich, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in an extensive mortgage fraud scheme. According to court…

USAO District of Connecticut Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  January 28, 2014 United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WINSTON SHILLINGFORD, 56, and his wife, MARLEEN SHILLINGFORD, 47, of Nesconset, N.Y., were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to prison terms of 48 months and 36 months, respectively, for operating a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud scheme that involved…

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz - District of Massachusetts DEVELOPER SENTENCED TO 12.5 YEARS IN PRISON FOR ORCHESTRATING MASSIVE MORTGAGE FRAUD INVOLVING OVER $7 MILLION IN LOSS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: CHRISTINA DiIORIO-STERLING PHONE:  (617)748-3356 E-MAIL:  [email protected] WWW.JUSTICE.GOV/USAO/MA/NEWS BOSTON –  A Boston man was sentenced late yesterday on charges relating to a massive mortgage…

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE GUZMAN, 53, of Waterford, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to 51 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for operating an extensive mortgage fraud scheme in eastern Connecticut. According to court documents and statements made in court, GUZMAN operated a fraudulent mortgage…

MOBILE, Alabama – A federal judge on Monday sentenced a woman to pay restitution to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of an ongoing mortgage fraud prosecution the Midtown Mortgage brokerage. In June, 27-year-old Delaine Williams pleaded guilty to falsifying a mortgage loan application so that it would be approved. It was alleged she falsely indicated that $5,000 for a down payment had come from a gift from a borrower’…

Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations “Reducing Waste, Fraud and Abuse in Housing Programs: Inspector General Perspectives”  

An Akron man will spend 10 years in prison for leading a mortgage fraud scheme in Northeast Ohio and Florida, according to federal prosecutors. Jack R. Coppenger, 50, appeared in federal court Monday after previously pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy. U.S. District Judge John Adams called Coppenger an “economic predator” and said he would determine the amount of restitution Coppenger would pay later. The government requested $35…

DOVER — After pleading guilty to defrauding a dozen friends and neighbors, a former school official will serve at least 18 months in prison and must pay about $278,000 in restitution. While the case is tied to other victims, Nickolas Skaltsis, 62, of 6 Erik Drive, waived the indictment process and pleaded guilty to three counts of theft by deception and one count of theft by misappropriation of property. Dover resident Gary Green, who was taken…

Testimony of the Honorable David A. Montoya Inspector General before the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies on the Federal Housing Administration (6/04/2013)