Feds Drop Most Charges Against Cincy Cop/Foreclosure Rescue Operator Accused Of Preying On People Facing Foreclosure

In Cincinnati, Ohio, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports:

• A Cincinnati police officer admitted Wednesday he cheated on his taxes and stole a widow’s life insurance benefits. Officer Adrian Mitchell, who has been suspended without pay since last May, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to charges of mail fraud and filing a false tax return. He faces up to three years in prison when he is sentenced later this year.

• Mitchell, 36, had been charged with mail, wire and bank fraud, and federal prosecutors had accused him of preying on people who lost their homes to foreclosure. Most of those charges were dropped Wednesday when Mitchell agreed to the plea deal that slashed his potential prison time from 30 years to three.

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• Mitchell, the owner of Rich Properties, bought homes on the brink of foreclosure and then offered to rent them back to the original homeowners with promises they could eventually buy back the properties, court records say. Prosecutors said last year that Mitchell sometimes misled banks by using “sham” buyers or other tactics to obtain loans to buy properties.

• When one renter hanged himself, prosecutors say, Mitchell filled out life insurance forms intended for the man’s widow. They say he then cashed checks totaling $188,000 from an account the life insurance company set up for the widow.

For more, see Cincy cop fleeced widow.