Monday, November 19, 2007

Notorious Scam Artist Cries In Court As Federal Judge Comes Down On Him With Both Feet

In Atlanta, Georgia, WXIA-TV Channel 11 reports:
  • The now-infamous, confessed scam artist Matthew Cox, who once fancied himself sometimes as Robin Hood and other times as the evil Mr. Burns from “The Simpsons,” using elaborate mortgage fraud and identity theft schemes to bilk more than 100 homeowners and lenders in eight states out of millions of dollars, wept in US District Court in Atlanta Friday as he apologized to his victims and hoped for a merciful sentence. Instead, Cox was sentenced to more time than similar fraudsters receive -- 26 years in federal prison.

***

  • Cox would steal a homeowner’s’ identity, and steal others’ identities, fraudulently obtain multiple mortgage loans on the same home, then take the money and run. The legitimate homeowner would lose his or her home and never get a dime in sales proceeds. The homeowner would also start receiving foreclosure notices. And multiple lenders would suddenly be coming out of the woodwork, all trying to take possession of the same house that they thought was security for the fraudulent loans each had given to Cox.

***

  • Matthew Cox still hopes to make one more deal. Because he is cooperating with the feds in other mortgage fraud cases, he will be eligible to apply for a reduced sentence once those cases are adjudicated.

Go here to view the WXIA-TV Channel 11 video coverage. To read the online story, see Scam Artist Weeps, Gets 26 Years.

See also, Swindler Cox gets 26 years (Matthew Cox used stolen identities and mortgage fraud to reap millions). ("In his crime rampage through five Southern states, the 38-year-old rose to the top of the U.S. Secret Service list, committing so much fraud the FBI had trouble keeping an inventory of it all. In Tampa, it amounted to $8.6-million, involving 77 properties, mostly in Tampa Heights and Ybor City. In Tennessee, it totaled $2.35-million on 22 properties. Millions more were added to the tally in Georgia and the Carolinas.").

Go here for other posts on Matthew Cox.