Thursday, August 28, 2008

SW Florida Real Estate Broker Hit With Eight New Federal Fraud/Money Laundering Charges

In Lee County, Florida, WZVN-TV Channel 7 reports:
  • New charges have been filed against commercial real estate broker Samir Cabrera. He was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday afternoon on eight new charges on top of four charges filed two months ago. The new charges include two counts of wire fraud, one of mail fraud and five counts of money laundering. [...] Federal prosecutors allege Cabrera recruited investors, acquired their money, bought land, and then sold the land, on the same day, to another company that he controlled. The investors say Cabrera never told them about his interest in the deal.

For more, see Broker facing additional federal charges.

For the newly filed superceding indictment, see U.S v. Cabrera.

In related stories, see:

1) Stilwell received checks in indictment of son-in-law (One commissioner expects county manager to be indicted also):

  • Two of the money laundering charges now facing real estate agent Samir Cabrera involve payments to Lee County Manager Don Stilwell. In the spring of 2006, two checks — one for $76,731.24 and one for $50,000 — went to Stilwell, who is Cabrera’s father-in-law.

2) Daniels View investors not happy with settlement:

  • A [civil court] settlement was made for investors in the controversial Daniels View Project - the Lee County land deal that spawned an investigation of County Manager Don Stilwell. The deal was organized by his son-in-law, real estate broker Samir Cabrera, who has been federally indicted and accused of misappropriating investors funds in other deals.

Go here for earlier posts, and any available updates, on this ongoing story.