Western Pa. Mortgage Fraud Task Force Nails 24 With Criminal Charges

In Western Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports:

• Last week, investigators nabbed Marlin Sprouts Jr., 52, a middle school teacher and newly elected Uniontown councilman, as part of what U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan called a four-person mortgage fraud and property-flipping scheme. Sprouts -- whose daughter pleaded guilty in a scam that cheated financial institutions out of $1 million to $2.5 million -- was charged with conspiracy for his role in the scheme, documents show.

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• Sprouts' case was one of several Buchanan cited [last week] as she initiates the Western Pennsylvania Mortgage Fraud Task Force. The task force includes officials from Buchanan's office, the FBI, Internal Revenue Service, state Attorney General's Office and state Department of Banking. [...] The 24 people charged for scams last week represent $13 million in mortgage fraud, Buchanan said. Authorities are working on at least 50 investigations, she said.

For more, see Mortgage fraud targeted by task force.

See also, KDKA-TV Channel 2 video report: Mortgage Fraud Probe Nets 24 Arrests, Indictments.