Group Accused Of Using Stolen IDs To Sell Homes Out From Under Unwitting Long Island Owners To Straw Buyers Impersonating Others In Mtg Fraud Ripoff

In Nassau County, New York, WNYW-TV Channel 5 reports:

• After a two-year investigation, authorities have charged 17 people of the largest mortgage fraud and identity theft scheme in Nassau County history, according to Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. [...] Rice said that her office's investigation, dubbed "Operation: Sweet Deal," uncovered more than 45 independent acts of fraud. Her office filed four indictments charging 17 people with more than 108 crimes for their roles in mortgage fraud and identity theft schemes that stole more than $20 million from homeowners, banks, and the County government.

• James Robert Sweet, 43, of Westbury, and Dwayne Benjamin, 44, of Westbury, and 15 others(1) face charges ranging from enterprise corruption and first-degree grand larceny to money laundering, identity theft and conspiracy. Among those arrested were lawyers, mortgage brokers, real estate brokers, bank employees, an appraiser, a financial consultant and one United States Postal worker. Rice said that Sweet Deal has operated in Nassau County for nearly six years under the leadership of Sweet and Benjamin.

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• The Nassau County DA said members accused in the group began to branch out into more lucrative thefts by recruiting friends, family members, and co-workers to steal the identities of home buyers and property owners and to impersonate them at the closings.

• Rice said that using these stolen identities, real estate members could impersonate both the home buyer and seller, and keep all of the proceeds of the phony home sale. In using the stolen identity, the real estate group impersonators would secure a real mortgage and then at the closing, another group member would act as the home owner, using a stolen identity of the real home owner.

For more, see Huge Mortgage Fraud and ID Theft Scheme Busted in Nassau County (Real Estate Unit Takes Down Fraud Scheme).

For the Nassau County DA press release, see DA Rice's Real Estate Unit Takes Down Largest Mortgage Fraud & I.D. Theft Scheme in Nassau County History ('Sweet Deal' real estate group stole more than $20M from banks, individuals, and the Nassau County government).

See also, Malverne-West Hempstead Patch: 'Sweet Deal' Costs Homeowners, Banks and County Millions (The Nassau County DA charged 17 people in a scheme that involved mortgage fraud and indentity theft).

(1) The rest of the hit parade follows:

• Stephanie Watkins, 36, Amityville (real estate broker),
• Sophia Welsh, 43, West Babylon (mortgage originator),
• Alfred Gary, 44, Englewood, N.J. (high-end car dealer - allegedly laundered funds),
• Vertus Vielot, 35, Baldwin (allegedly impersonated seller at ID thefts),
• Yves Mathieu, 45, Elmont (allegedly provided fake docs for ID thefts),
• John DiCanio, 37, of Islip Terrace (mortgage originator),
• Carlos Irizarry, 34, of Long Beach (mortgage originator),
• Larinzo Clayton, 45, of Westbury (attorney),
• Ethan Serlin, 40, of Dix Hills (attorney),
• Radamex Velasquez, 34, of Valley Stream (appraiser),
• James Gant, 35, of Brooklyn (alleged straw buyer),
• Allen Woods, 35, of Hempstead (alleged straw buyer),
• Lyshaan Hall, 33, of Brooklyn (tax preparer – allegedly provided fake docs),
• Sonia Panameno, 29, of Mineola (bank employee – allegedly provided fake docs),
• Roxanna Calero, 33, of Brooklyn (bank employee – provided fake docs).