Florida continues to pursue financial crime cases, as the state has seen its share of them over the years. Local authorities have increasingly collaborated with federal agencies in an effort to stem the tide. In a recent case, 10 residents of Florida were charged with a variety of crimes in a mortgage fraud case. The case centers on a foreclosure rescue scam, and the specific charges include wire fraud and mail fraud.
The indictment, issued by the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida, named 10 defendants. It alleges that those 10 defendants collected advance fees from a multitude of distressed homeowners, claiming that they would be able to obtain loan modifications for the homeowners in exchange for those payments.
One of the defendants, 38, is a West Palm Beach resident. He is alleged to have been the operator and organizer of FHA AllDay.com, along with two additional companies. One of his primary co-defendants, 34, came to Florida from West Newbury, Massachusetts. His part in the scheme is said to have involved being an operations manager, writing and editing sales scripts in order to draw in more victims of the scam.
The eight other defendants in the case, according to the indictment, oversaw telemarketers that were organized into teams. The telemarketers made thousands of individual calls to homeowners throughout Florida, choosing those who were behind on their mortgage payments. Authorities claim that false statements were made to those homeowners, misleading them into believing that they’d been approved for loan modifications.
Being accused of mortgage fraud crimes, as the 10 defendants in this case were, is very serious. Anyone facing similar accusations will need a strong, solid defense in order to have a chance at a positive outcome in such a case. An experienced criminal defense attorney can help by protecting a defendant’s rights throughout the legal process.
Source: HousingWire.com, “Ten indicted in mortgage fraud scheme” Brena Swanson, Dec. 26, 2013