Career Criminal Gets 24+ Years In Foreclosure Scam

In Hamilton, Ohio, The Enquirer reports:

• A foreclosure-relief scam artist was already ordered to spend 23 years and two months in prison for his crimes - but a Butler County judge tacked on an additional year to give Troy Lee Keith more time to comprehend the "economic ruin" he wreaked. Keith, 40, must serve 24 years and two months, Judge Craig Hedric ruled at a resentencing hearing Wednesday.

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• Troubled homeowners were promised that Keith would either assume their mortgages or buy their homes in exchange for monthly rent payments and a processing fee. But victims found themselves evicted because Keith reneged on his promises and just kept their money, authorities said. "You just stole from people that needed help," Hedric said as he lectured Keith. Keith, who represented himself in Wednesday's hearing, said he was acting on the behest of his employer.

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• By Hedric's tally, Keith has been convicted under 37 different case numbers in his adult life - and 35 of those cases were theft-related.

For more, see Operator of scheme gets more time (link no longer available online). foreclosure rescue