NYC Mortgage Fraud / I.D. Theft Investigation Picking Up Steam

In the New York City metropolitan area, the mortgage fraud, identity theft case against Jacob Milton, 41, of Port Washington, New York appears to be expanding, according to a story in Newsday. He currently is charged with scamming another man's identity, buying two homes in his name and leaving him more than $1 million in debt. Suspected victims are reportedly coming out of the woodwork, as they are emerging both in Queens and Nassau counties claiming that their identities were stolen and used to make credit card purchases at chain stores there. An excerpt from the story:

• The investigation, which started in July, is expected to uncover dozens - maybe hundreds - of victims, police sources said, and is likely to involve millions of dollars in identity theft and mortgage fraud. Detectives still have reams of documents to sort through, but there is already evidence of widespread fraud, sources said, with names and addresses cut out of some documents then pasted onto others.

A woman arrested with Milton on Monday was initially identified as Nira Niru and described as his sister. Authorities now say her name is Shamsun Nira, 38, and that her relationship to Milton is not clear. She is being held on $500,000 bail. Milton is being held without bail on felony charges of grand larceny, identity theft and scheme to defraud, among others. For more, see Mortgage fraud case gathers momentum.

For earlier media reports, see:

• Broker at center of mortgage scam probe affecting NYC homeowners (Newsday) (According to the lead investigator, "People have been coming in like crazy. The phones have not stopped ringing.")
• Cable Show Gave Suspect in Fraud Case High Profile (The New York Times),
• Mortgage Office Manager Charged With Identity Theft and Grand Larceny (The New York Times).

Go here for other posts on Jacob Milton.

For an earlier alleged mortgage fraud scam with connections to the New York City Bangladeshi community and another mortgage broker operating out of Jackson Heights, Queens, see:

• Ten Charged With $7 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme,
• More On New Generation Funding, NYC Bangladeshi Mortgage Fraud Case.

Alleged Bangladeshi Scam Artist Cons Countrymen

In New York City, The New York Times reports on how a Bangladeshi immigrant operating a Jackson Heights, Queens mortgage company allegedly scammed his fellow countrymen, many of whom on financially unstable footing, in real estate investment and mortgage scams. Milton was recently arraigned in Queens on several counts, including identity theft, scheming to defraud and grand larceny involving at least four people. Prosecutors also charged Nira Niru, another Bangladeshi immigrant, with helping Mr. Milton in his activities, at the Jackson Heights mortgage office. An excerpt from the story:

• Since the initial complaint against Mr. Milton and Ms. Niru, about 30 people, most of them Bangladeshi, have come forward to accuse Mr. Milton of defrauding them, according to Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney. Prosecutors say that they are not surprised and that the case underscores an all-too-common trend, of immigrants who prey on their own. “I think it is indeed prevalent,” Mr. Brown said. “I think it’s a case of the victims trusting individuals who share the same backgrounds and the same ethnicity as they do. These are people that they feel comfortable with.” [...] The latest prosecution follows two other cases in which people from Bangladesh have been accused by prosecutors in Queens of stealing from their countrymen, for whom Jackson Heights, with its many Bangladeshi stores and restaurants, is a cultural center.

For more, see Bangladeshis in Queens Say Their Trust in a Countryman Cost Them.

Go here for other posts on Jacob Milton.

Mortgage Company Employees Charged With I.D. Theft, Grand Larceny

In New York City, The New York Times reports that investigators have arrested Jacob Milton, 41, the branch manager of the Jackson Heights, Queens office of Griffin Mortgage Company, and his sister, Nira Niru, 38, a secretary in the same office for identity theft, grand larceny and scheming to defraud.

They are accused of opening bogus charge accounts and taking out mortgage loans using the personal identification information given to them from prospective mortgage customers who applied for loans at their office, the police said. Many were seeking to become first-time homeowners. The investigation began when each of six separate victims reported that their I.D.s had been stolen. According to the story:

• Investigators said they found a common link: all six had applied for loans at the same local mortgage office. Further investigation found still more victims, and fraud estimated to total more than $1 million, the police said. [...] The number of victims is likely to rise to at least 12 by the time the investigation is finished, the police said.

For more, see Mortgage Office Manager Charged With Identity Theft and Grand Larceny.