Archives

ORLANDO, FL - April 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- United States Attorney A. Brian Albritton announces that U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway today sentenced Ramon Cendana (age 48, of Orlando) to more than six years in federal prison for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme. The Court also ordered Cendana to pay in excess of $240,000 in restitution to his victims. Cendana had pleaded guilty on January 27, 2010

Stuart, FL - April 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) today advised struggling homeowners in South Florida to take advantage of an opportunity this month for free counseling and guidance to help reduce their monthly mortgage payments. The event, hosted by the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), will take place in Miami from April 15-19.

JACKSONVILLE, FL - March 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- United States Attorney A. Brian Albritton and James Casey, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announce today that, following a two-week trial, a federal jury has found Marshall Craig Scott (age 59, of Jacksonville) guilty of commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Scott faces a maximum penalty of 145 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 24, 2010. Scott was indicted on October 29, 2009.

ORLANDO, FL - March 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Attorney A. Brian Albritton announces that U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp today sentenced Mark J. Moncher (age 53, of Orlando) to 57 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme. The court also ordered Moncher to pay more than $1.9 million in restitution. Moncher had pleaded guilty on December 29, 2009.

MIAMI, FL - March 15, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum and the Florida Interagency Mortgage Task Force today hosted a community forum in Miami to discuss the housing crisis. The event was designed to present a comprehensive approach for dealing with housing-related issues and provide information and assistance to consumers. Participating agencies included state agencies, law enforcement and regulatory authorities

WASHINGTON, DC - February 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Kendrick Meek today released the following statement regarding President Obama's decision to use funding from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to support Florida homeowners and stabilize the housing market

TALLAHASSEE, FL - February 3, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum and Office of Financial Regulation Commissioner J. Thomas Cardwell today announced that a Seminole County man was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to a criminal racketeering scheme that involved mortgage fraud in home purchasing. Upon his release from prison, Stanford Morgan, president and owner of Homes for Sale by Owner, Inc., must also pay full restitution, including $200,000 to an investing couple in one transaction and compensation to the lending institutions he defrauded in other transactions. Morgan was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.

WASHINGTON, DC - January 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $1,661,173 grant to assist about 600 workers affected by layoffs at the Taylor, Bean and Whitaker Mortgage Corp. and its subsidiary companies in north/central Florida.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - December 23, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced he has filed a lawsuit against three businesses operating in Miami-Dade County, their principles and affiliated attorneys on allegations of deceptive and unfair trade practices regarding their involvement in a foreclosure rescue scam affecting homeowners nationwide. The Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division began investigating Kirkland Young LLC, in July after receiving numerous consumer complaints against the company. During the course of the investigation it was discovered that Attorney Aid LLC and ABK Consultants were affiliated with Kirkland Young LLC.

Washington, D.C. - December 14, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Ron Klein (FL-22) today joined a majority of his House colleagues to pass a landmark piece of legislation to reform our financial system and protect consumers across the country. This bill, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H.R.4173), will prevent the irresponsible actions that contributed to the financial crisis last fall. This legislation restores real oversight to Wall Street through smart regulation and protects consumers by ensuring that the terms of bank loans, mortgages, and credit cards are fair, clearly written and easy to understand. Also, it helps make sure that American taxpayers will never again have to bail out Wall Street banks by putting an end to “too big to fail” financial firms.

Washington, D.C. - December 8, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Ron Klein (FL-22) today participated in a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee seeking solutions to the current mortgage crisis. Klein described the serious problems in the South Florida housing market for the Committee and witnesses, and said that it “is essential for banks and the federal government to implement effective programs to increase loan modifications and prevent foreclosures. It is simply not acceptable to watch responsible families in our community lose the homes they have worked so hard for.”

Washington, DC - December 3, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The House of Representatives today passed a resolution cosponsored by Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) to encourage banks and mortgage service providers to work with families affected by contaminated drywall and to allow temporary forbearance without penalty on payments on their home mortgages. The resolution is nonbinding but serves to raise awareness to the unfortunate situation that has affected some homeowners in recent years.

Washington, DC - December 1, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Representative Kathy Castor released the following statement today. "Tampa Bay area families will benefit under the improved mortgage modification campaign announced by the Obama Administration today. Qualified families must be proactive and loan servicers must be held accountable for results.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - November 25, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today commended Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum for his proactive efforts to combat mortgage foreclosure rescue and loan modification scams in Florida. Yesterday, the FTC unveiled “Operation Stolen Hope,” a national sweep targeting these types of scams, and announced the filing of just over 100 state and federal legal actions throughout the country. These filings are in addition to the continuing efforts by Attorney General McCollum's office, which has filed 17 civil actions in the past year with more expected in the coming months.

SUNRISE, FL - November 9, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Attorney General’s Office and the Florida Interagency Mortgage Task Force today hosted a Broward County community forum to discuss the housing crisis. The event, designed to present a comprehensive approach for dealing with housing-related issues, provided community education and assistance to over 100 attendees. Participating agencies included state agencies, law enforcement, and regulatory authorities.

JACKSONVILLE, FL—United States Attorney A. Brian Albritton announces that U.S. District Judge Henry Lee Adams, Jr., today sentenced Juan Carlos Gonzalez (age 51, of Jacksonville) to seven years in federal prison for conspiring to commit wire and bank fraud. The court also entered a money judgment against Gonzalez for $6,296,303.65, the amount that Gonzalez obtained from the fraud. Gonzalez had pleaded guilty on November 25, 2008

TALLAHASSEE, FL - November 4, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink today commended the contributions of her Division of Insurance Fraud in the “Mortgage Fraud Surge”, a nine-month joint effort with the U.S. Attorney Brian Albritton, the FBI and numerous other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to secure as many mortgage-fraud related indictments and arrests as possible.

September 24, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Michael J. Folmar, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced today that defendant Adriana Cruz, 27, of Miami, was sentenced by United States District Judge Alan S. Gold on September 18, 2009, for her role in a mortgage fraud scheme that resulted in the granting of two fraudulent home equity loans totaling approximately $1 million

TALLAHASSEE, FL - September 9, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that a Jensen Beach Pastor and his wife have been sentenced to prison terms for a mortgage fraud scheme. Rodney McGill will serve 20 years in prison and his mortgage broker wife Shalonda will serve a 10-year prison sentence for running a mortgage fraud scheme that enticed victims to participate in a real estate investment “opportunity” but instead was an effort to rid the McGills of their mortgages. In addition to their sentences, each will serve 10 years of probation upon their release. The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution in partnership with the State Attorney Bruce Colton of the 19th Judicial Circuit.

September 8, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael J. Folmar, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, Daniel W. Auer, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, Miami Field Office, and J. Thomas Cardwell, Commissioner, State of Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation, announced that defendant Michael A. Meisner, 52, of Boca Raton, Florida, pled guilty today before the Honorable U.S. Magistrate Judge James M. Hopkins to a three-count Information filed on September 2, 2009, which charged mail fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C.§ 1341, loan application fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1014, and tax evasion, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7201. Bond was set at a $500,000 corporate surety bond, and a $500,000 personal surety bond. Sentencing was set for November 20, 2009, at 9:30 a.m., before the Honorable U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra. Meisner faces a maximum of 55 years imprisonment.