BUFFALO, N.Y.—Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today former City of Dunkirk Mayor Richard L. Frey, 85, of Dunkirk, NY, who was convicted of wire fraud involving a scheme to defraud his mayoral campaign and his supporters by stealing campaign contributions for his personal benefit, was sentenced to six months home confinement by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution totaling…

Source: www.housingwire.com)  During the confirmation process for Department of the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Congressional Democrats attempted to use the mortgage practices that took place at OneWest Bank during Mnuchin’s time as chairman against him, claiming that Mnuchin oversaw a “foreclosure machine” during his time at OneWest. One of the Democrats’ weapons of choice was the alleged practices of Financial Freedom, a…

(Source: Ocean City Patch) OCEAN CITY, NJ — Alesia Watson has been removed as the Executive Director of the Ocean City Housing Authority (OCHA). Watson, who pleaded guilty last week to embezzling between $6,500 and $15,000 in funds intended for use by OCHA from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was removed during OCHA’s meeting Tuesday night, according to published reports. Ocean City has also terminated its shared…

Financial Freedom has agreed to a settlement with the United States of more than $89 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) in connection with its participation in a federally insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) or ‘reverse mortgage’ program, the Justice Department announced today. Financial Freedom is headquartered in…

(Source: fox13memphis.com) MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A local real estate investor has pled guilty to a charge of bank fraud, according to the Department of Justice. In September of 2016, Thomas L. Boyd, 44, was indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain mortgage loans. The indictment alleged Boyd, the owner of Wonderful Properties, LLC gave false statements and documents to Regions Bank, First Tennessee Bank…

CAMDEN, N.J. – The executive director of the Ocean City, New Jersey, Housing Authority (OCHA) today admitted embezzling federal funds received by authority from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced. Alesia Watson, 54, of Galloway Township, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court to an information charging her…

Memphis, TN – A Memphis real estate investor has pled guilty to a charge of bank fraud. Lawrence J. Laurenzi, Acting U.S. Attorney, announced the guilty plea today. In September 2016, Thomas L. Boyd, 44, was indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain mortgage loans. The indictment alleged that Boyd, the owner of Wonderful Properties, LLC made false statements and presented false documents to Regions Bank…

BOSTON – A Milford woman was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with embezzling over $70,000 in rent payments owed to the Framingham Housing Authority (FHA). Rosa A. Famania, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris to five months in prison and three years of supervised release. In addition, Famania must complete five months in a residential or inpatient substance abuse facility upon her…

(Source: The Times) HAMMOND — A contractor hired in 2013 to improve Gary Housing Authority properties was indicted last week on charges alleging he provided counterfeit financial documents to secure the $347,950 contract. Ashley D. Dunlap, 54, of East Chicago, faces two counts of counterfeiting securities of a private entity, according to U.S. District Court records. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in July 2013 approved…

HAMMOND- Acting United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson announced an indictment charging Ashley D. Dunlap, 54, of East Chicago, Indiana with two counts of uttering a counterfeit security. The indictment alleges, in July 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development approved federal funding for building renovations at the Delaney and Dorie Miller public housing projects operated by Gary Housing Authority (GHA). Dunlap’s…

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Ignacio Beato, age 46, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was charged in a one count criminal information on April 26, 2017, with conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions through a financial institution, with funds that were the proceeds of wire fraud. According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the information alleges that Beato…

(Source: kjas.com) Federal authorities have announced that they have just completed an investigation of The Jasper Housing Authority and its executive director, John Molt, and the feds say they have discovered a pattern of abuse of capacity, misused equipment, and over $91,000.00 in misused funds, and they say they’re demanding that it all be paid back.   In a report released by the Office of the Inspector General of the United States…

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TIMOTHY W. BURKE, also known as “Bill Burke,” “William Burke,” “Kerry Saunders,” “Pat Riley,” “Jim Caldwell,” “Jim Saunders,” “Tom Morrisey,” “Jimmy,” “Phil Burke,” “Phil,” “Burt,” “James Burke,” and “M. Soler,” 65, formerly of Easton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 108 months of imprisonment, followed by three…

PROVIDENCE – Former Real Estate Attorney Louis Marandola, 42, of Providence and Brian R. McCaffrey, 38, of Warwick, a former licensed loan originator, have been sentenced to federal prison for their participation in a scheme to obtain money they were not entitled to from financial institutions and individuals through mortgage loans, residential property sales and fees. On Thursday, Louis Marandola was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison…

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Three co-conspirators who operated a nationwide, multi-year “home mortgage modification” fraud that scammed hundreds of victims out of at least $10 million were convicted today by a federal jury. “These defendants scammed hundreds of individuals and families who were trying desperately to save their homes,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Their crimes were rooted in dishonesty and…

Source: victoriaadvocate.com By Jessica Priest April 4, 2017 at 10:42 p.m. Updated April 5, 2017 at 6 a.m Upcoming court dates for other defendants Debra Smith Gillespie, former executive director, May 3 Roger Earl Clark, maintenance director, May 1 David Keith Norrell, contractor, May 1 Robert Berry, contractor, May 15 Terre Horvath-Berry, wife of Robert Berry, May 15 One of six people charged with stealing from the Victoria Housing…

(Source: www.guampdn.com) A judge sentenced a former employee of the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority to 1 year and 1 day in prison for accepting bribes, but she will only spend 30 days behind bars. Antonia Mayo-San Nicolas admitted to taking bribes from tenants to qualify them for the federally-funded Section 8 housing program when she was a housing specialist for GHURA. Court documents state she took bribes between September 2014 and…

(Source: www.toledoblade.com) Calling their crimes “morally reprehensible,” a federal judge on Monday sent four people involved in a phony home-loan modification scheme to prison. U.S. District Court Judge James Carr ordered Christopher J. Howder, 40, of Perrysburg to spend seven years in prison and pay $561,799 in restitution. Howder pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, six counts of mail fraud, and seven…

BOSTON – The owner of a trash company was charged today in federal court in Boston in connection with defrauding the operator of the Fall River Landfill out of approximately $473,000 in disposal fees.   Stephen P. Aguiar, Jr., 47, of Westport, was charged with three counts of mail fraud. Aguiar was one of the owners and operators of Cleanway Disposal & Recycling, Inc., a trash removal and recycling company, and JS Aguiar Enterprises,…

Source: pressherald.com) A Gorham woman has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $91,000 from the South Portland Housing Authority. Jamie Hussey, 35, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to committing federal program fraud, said acting U.S. Attorney Richard W. Murphy in a news release. Citing court records, Murphy said that Hussey embezzled $91,577 from the housing authority from February 2014 to September 2016. Prosecutors said…