Disbarred closing attorney scheduled to plead guilty in mortgage-fraud case is found dead
A former Virginia lawyer who was scheduled to plead guilty Wednesday afternoon in a federal mortgage fraud case in Richmond was found dead Wednesday morning in Florida under unexplained circumstances.
Walter Hooker left his Boca Grande home on Monday, telling his wife he was going to play golf, and never returned, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The Charlotte County sheriff’s department is investigating following the discovery of Hooker’s body Wednesday morning.
Hooker was disbarred by consent (PDF) in 2011. At issue was a real estate seller’s complaint that much of the profit she was due was diverted from her after a repair escrow amount was changed from $5,100 to $51,000 without her permission.
He was charged in the mortgage fraud case with serving as closing attorney in a bank fraud conspiracy between 2004 and 2011. It allegedly involved two differing sets of closing documents and misrepresentation to lenders about amounts brought to the settlement table and how funds were disbursed.
