6 Lawyers Among 41 Charged in $64M Mortgage Fraud Case
Updated: Authorities say six lawyers were among 41 individuals charged in a $64 million federal mortgage fraud prosecution that was announced today in Manhattan.
Dubbed Operation Bad Deeds, the case also charges an accountant, three mortgage brokers, seven loan officers, and a residential property appraiser with wrongdoing concerning various alleged schemes involving dozens of New York properties, according to Reuters.
A total of 31 individuals have been arrested or surrendered in four states. Of the remaining 10 suspects, another four were previously arrested, one has agreed to surrender and five are being sought, reports the Associated Press.
A number of details, including the names of those arrested, are currently not being reported in media accounts.
However, a Federal Bureau of Investigation press release says that closing attorneys Cheddi Goberdhan, Ravi Persaud and Dean Reskakis are among the defendants in the case. Sharon Friday, also known as Sharon Friday Cudjoe, acted as an attorney for phantom “straw” buyers, according to the release; however, she is not admitted to practice in New York, it says.
Practicing attorneys Dustin Dente and Brandon Lisi were charged with participating in a scheme to defraud lenders by allegedly obtaining mortgages through false and fraudulent information.
Related earlier and additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “3 Lawyers Among 12 Charged in $9M Mortgage Fraud Case”
Wall Street Journal (sub. req.): “Dozens Arrested for Alleged Mortgage Fraud”
Updated at 5 p.m. to include information from FBI press release.
