GULFPORT, MI—Former Harrison County supervisor Kim Savant, 65, of Gulfport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden today to sixty months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit bribery, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis, IRS—Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Jerome McDuffie and FBI Special Agent in Charge Donald Alway. Savant was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.…

(Source: Providence Journal Newspaper) PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Federal prosecutors say a former Providence City Council candidate has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud for obtaining a $157,000 federally insured mortgage loan fraudulently by using the identity of a dead person. Authorities say 34-year-old Franchesco Franco, of Providence, a former mortgage loan originator, made false statements on a mortgage loan application and…

Suit Alleges that Purported Charity Concealed Problem Lenders from Federal Housing Administration (Source: USAO, Eastern District of New York) Kelly T. Currie, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, David A. Montoya, Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Frederick W. Gibson, Acting Inspector General for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, announced the filing of a civil…

(Source: DOJ) WASHINGTON – The owner of a Florida mortgage company was sentenced today to serve 135 months in prison for orchestrating a $64 million mortgage fraud scheme. Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Nadine Gurley of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD OIG)…

(Source: mortgagefraudblog.com) Christopher Nelson, 46, Henderson, Nevada, and Niket Kulkarni, 38, Los Angeles, California were indicted by the Clark County, Nevada, Grand Jury, along with Thomas J. Adams,  Robyn D. Reese, and James Sheridan Reese, in connection with a short sale rescue fraud scheme. The charges include racketeering, pattern of mortgage lending fraud, theft, theft from a person over the age of 60, and failure to place a…

TRENTON – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that five additional individuals were charged criminally today with filing fraudulent applications for federal relief funds related to Superstorm Sandy. Since March 2014, the Attorney General’s Office has filed criminal charges against 37 people for allegedly engaging in this type of fraud, including the five individuals charged today. The Attorney General’s Office is continuing its…

Also Admits Role in Fraudulent $20,000 Home Rehabilitation Loan Scheme (Source: USAO, NJ) NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, man today admitted using excessive force during an arrest, falsifying records in an attempt to conceal his conduct and helping a relative fraudulently obtain a home rehabilitation loan, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Domenico Lillo, 45, of Bayonne, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge…

(Source: USAO, MA) BOSTON – Two former Roxse Homes employees were arrested today on charges that they conspired to rent apartments at the housing development in Roxbury to individuals who were not qualified for those apartments, in exchange for cash bribes.  Mathis Lemons, 41, of Brockton, and Ismael Morales, 35, of Jamaica Plain, were indicted on one count of conspiracy and seven counts of bribery.  The Indictment alleges that…

(Source: Victoria Advocate) A damning audit showing the Victoria Housing Authority mismanaged more than $780,000 of federal money could result in criminal charges. "This is not surprising, and I think that is a very conservative number," Criminal District Attorney Stephen Tyler said Friday. Mayor Paul Polasek added: "I'm very disturbed by these allegations." The Victoria Housing Authority's former Chief Financial Officer Dolores Garza, current…

(Source: USAO, CT) Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ANDREW ROSS, 58, of New Haven, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to paying nearly $350,000 in bribes to the former executive director of the West Haven Housing Authority in exchange for government contracts and business. According to court documents and statements…

(Source: USAO, DC) WASHINGTON – Nine individuals have been sentenced on federal charges stemming from a 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 sentences were announced today by Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr.; Olga Acevedo, Special Agent in Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Region, Office of the Inspector…

(Source: NY State Police) On Friday, August 28, 2015, the New York State Police at Latham conducted an investigation in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency- Office of Inspector General (EPA/OIG), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development- Office of Inspector General (HUD/OIG) and the Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Service (DHS/FPS) which concluded with the arrest of 58 year old Charles…

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A former program manager for the Parma Public Housing Agency was sentenced Thursday to 16 months in federal prison for stealing $232,000 over six years. Amy Belz, 34, who is free on bond while she awaits a date to report to prison, tearfully apologized to the judge and her family during the sentencing hearing. She cited the effect on her two daughters. "Because of me, their lives were turned upside down," Belz said. In handing…

(Source: kens5.com) SAN ANTONIO – The embattled executive director of the Housing Authority of Bexar County has resigned, months after a federal audit found the agency misused more than $583,000 in funds. Albert “Buddy” Aleman resigned Aug. 19, effective immediately, a county spokeswoman said. Aleman’s resignation comes less than two months after Judge Nelson Wolff publicly called for his dismissal, and while the agency actively looked to find…

WASHINGTON – Edward Dacy, 77, most recently of West Melbourne, Fla., was sentenced today to six years in prison on charges 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 sentencing was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr.; Olga Acevedo, Special…

(Source: Pacific Daily News) Federal subpoenas were delivered Friday to the Guam Housing and Renewal Authority’s main office, GHURA management confirmed Monday. Albert Santos, GHURA’s interim executive director while Mike Duenas is off island, said while he can confirm subpoenas were served, he couldn’t disclose who was subpoenaed and what information was sought. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., issued the subpoenas,…

(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…

(Source: USDOJ) Baltimore, Maryland –Alberic Okou Agodio, age 30, of Bethesda, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, 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…

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…