Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Mississippi Feds Hit Title Agents With 38-Count Indictment For Role In Alleged Scam To Fraudulently Obtain $9M+ In Mortgage Loans

From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (Jackson, Mississippi):
  • Acting United States Attorney Stan Harris announced [...] that a federal grand jury has returned a 38 count indictment charging J. Larry Kennedy and Keith M. Kennedy with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to launder money, multiple counts of wire fraud, and multiple counts of money laundering in relation to their roles in a mortgage fraud conspiracy and scheme with Mark J. Calhoun, April Calhoun and Willie Jones to obtain fraudulent loans totaling in excess of $9 million.

For the U.S. Attorney press release, see Former Real Estate Loan Closing Agents Are Charged With $9 Million Mortgage Loan Fraud.

(1) The indictment alleges that between September 2004, and at least through September 2006, while operating in the Jackson-metro area as Loan Closing & Title Services, Inc., the Kennedys were the closing agents involved with the fraudulent mortgage loans charged in the indictment. The indictment alleges that during the conspiracy and scheme, the Kennedys and their co-conspirators provided fraudulent loan documents to various lenders; thereafter, the Kennedys disbursed proceeds from the fraudulent loans to Mark J. Calhoun, April Calhoun, Willie Jones, and their respective companies as fictitious creditors. According to the indictment, as part of the conspiracy and scheme, on some of the fraudulent loans the Kennedys falsely notarized loan documents during the loan closing process that were relied upon by the lenders to demonstrate that the specific borrower personally appeared at the loan closing and signed the closing documents in the presence of the loan closing agent in order to retrieve the mortgage loan proceeds.