Judge Tacks On 3 Years To Prison Sentence Sought By Feds In S. Florida Mortgage Scam

In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports:

• [A] Fort Lauderdale federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a Coral Springs man to eight years in prison for orchestrating a $12 million mortgage fraud in Broward County. In sentencing Anthony Dehaney, U.S. District Judge William Dimitrouleas went beyond the five-year prison term recommended by prosecutors, saying he wanted to deter other people from trying to make "quick easy money" through real estate fraud.

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• Dehaney, 57, who pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy and fraud charges, lied on mortgage loan applications for at least 25 Broward County properties between January 2003 and August 2006, including a $1.4 million home in Coral Springs.

• When the real estate market hit the rocks, Dehaney filed forged bankruptcy petitions in Broward federal court on behalf of three straw buyers to stall foreclosure proceedings.

For more, see Mortgage fraud cases in South Florida might bring stiffer sentences (Judge imposes 8-year term, saying he wants to deter others).