Current & Former Local Cops, FBI Agent, Two Title/Closing Attorneys Among 13 Bagged by South Florida Feds In Alleged Mortgage Fraud Racket

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

• When the former chief of the Plantation Police Department got a tip that some in his blue-uniformed ranks were involved in their off-hours in a suspicious real estate scheme, he turned the matter over to a state police agency. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement eventually brought in the feds, and Wednesday, six current and former Plantation police officers, along with an FBI agent, a Lauderhill police officer and others, were indicted by a federal grand jury, accused of being part of a $16 million-plus mortgage investment fraud ring that bought and sold homes with phony documents.(1)

For more, see Plantation police officers, FBI agent indicted in federal mortgage fraud ring.

For the U.S. Attorney press release, see Broward Mortgage Investment Scheme Indicted.

(1) Reportedly, Federal officials said a total of 13 people – including Plantation police officers Daryl Radziwon, 39, of Plantation; Casey Mittauer, 37, of Cooper City; and Joseph DeRosa, 35, of Coral Springs – were actors in the scheme. FBI agent Robert DePriest, 41, of Plantation, who was assigned to the Miami field office, was also named in the indictment, as was Joseph LaGrasta, 32, of Tamarac, a police officer with the city of Lauderhill. Also indicted were two brothers who had served as Plantation police officers but were fired years ago: Joseph Guaracino, 32, and Dennis Guaracino Jr., 34, both of Plantation. A third former Plantation cop, John Velez, 37, of Plantation, who left Plantation in 2007 and joined Hallandale Beach police in 2008, was indicted as well. Hallandale Beach police officials said Velez resigned several months ago. Steven Stoll, a licensed mortgage broker and a licensed attorney, and Stephen Orchard, also a licensed attorney, were also charged in the indictment with participating in the scheme by handling the closings of the fraudulently obtained loans, along with licensed mortgage brokers Matthew Gulla and Rene Rodriguez Jr.