Thursday, March 25, 2010

Title Insurer's Escrow Officer, Local Office Supervisor Played Roles In Pulling Off $30M Fraud, Says Convicted Mastermind Who Headed Scam

In San Diego, California, BusinessWeek reports:
  • Employees of Fidelity National Financial Inc.’s Chicago Title Corp. unit helped carry out a $30 million fraud, the convicted mastermind of the scheme said at the start of a civil trial against the title insurer. Rollo “Rick” Norton, a financial planner who pleaded guilty to mail fraud in connection with the scam, told a San Diego Superior Court jury that an escrow officer and a local office supervisor at Chicago Title knew what they were doing was wrong and “I was part of it.”

  • Chicago Title and Chicago Title Insurance are accused, together with Norton, of conspiracy and fraud by 19 people who say they lost their investments in a San Diego condominium project through sham real estate transactions. The investors claim insiders at Chicago Title helped Norton prepare and sign fraudulent documents.

For more, see Chicago Title Assisted San Diego Fraud, Mastermind Tells Jury.