Texas Real Estate Appraiser Gets 5 Years For Defrauding Lender; Ordered To Fork Over $2.3 Million

In Arlington, Texas, The Dallas Morning News reports:

• An Arlington real estate appraiser has been sentenced to five years in prison after participating in what U.S. Attorney Richard Roper called a widespread North Texas home scam that cost Countrywide Home Loans millions of dollars. In August, Gandhi Ben Morka, 52, was found guilty on a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud and two counts of mail fraud after a weeklong trial. In addition to the five-year sentence handed down Tuesday, he must repay $2.3 million. Mr. Morka was accused of working with seven others who were indicted in May 2005 on mortgage fraud charges – Sean Cung-Kim Nguyen, Dai Quoc Nguyen, Xuyen Thi-Kim Nguyen, Tam Nguyen, Myna Tran, Hong Thanh Duong and Cuc Kim Tran. Mr. Roper's office said that most of those seven have been convicted and sentenced to prison.

For more, see Arlington real estate appraiser sentenced to 5 years for fraud (Scam cost Countrywide millions, U.S. attorney says).