One Key Player Cops Plea In Wisconsin "Body Snatcher" Mortgage Fraud Case

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel blog reports:

• Federal prosecutors have scored one significant promise of a guilty plea in the sprawling Michael Lock mortgage fraud case, but so far others aren't following suit. Chianti Clay, a key figure in the case, has agreed to plead guilty, according to paperwork filed last week -- the deadline for filing motions in the case. But no other plea agreements have appeared on the case file. And five defendants including Lock have filed motions (including Krista Jeray, who has former Waukesha DA Paul Bucher as her defense attorney), a good sign they are fighting the charges. There are four other defendants who didn't file motions or plea agreements (Monique Dunlap, Marcus Leonard, Ruben Fields and Nicole Brown).

• Lock -- who headed a crew known as the "body snatchers" -- is facing a slew of other charges in state court, including homicide for which he is set to go to trial in February. Lock's federal trial has been scheduled for April.

Source: Most not taking pleas in Lock case.

It appears that of the ten defendants named in the original mortgage fraud indictment, only Clay has copped a plea to date. In addition to those named above, the additional defendants listed in the indictment are Jerhonda McCray, of the mortgage brokerage company, World Financial Mortgage, Kevin Slamann of Excell Closing Services, and Lisa Colella (fka Lisa Geiger).

See Plea Agreement - U.S. vs. Clay to view Clay's plea.

For a copy of the original indictment, see U.S. vs. Lock, McCray, Slamann, et al.

Go here for earlier posts & story updates on this case.