Ex-Lawyer and Lawmaker Gets 5 Years for Handling Closings for Mortgage Fraud Ring
A former state representative and attorney in Connecticut who lost his law license years ago was sentenced this week to five years in federal prison for his role in a mortgage fraud ring.
Morris Olmer, 83, handled closings as a notary for the group. It allegedly included 14 co-conspirators who obtained $10 million in mortgage loans for residential property through a scheme that prosecutors said relied on fraudulent sales contracts, loan applications and property appraisals. The group even had a paper company that was paid to renovate homes without doing any work, according to the Capitol Watch blog of the Hartford Courant.
Another claimed co-conspirator, Rabbi David Avigdor, 57, who is also an attorney, was not initially convicted. He is, however, expected to be retried.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Ex-Lawyer and Lawmaker Convicted with 3 Others in Mortgage Fraud; Jury Hangs re Attorney-Rabbi”
New Haven Independent: “Judge Baffled By Two Morris Olmers”
