Three people charged in local mortgage fraud schemes | mortgage, fraud, rodriguez - TheDestinLog.com

Three people charged in local mortgage fraud schemes | mortgage, fraud, rodriguez - TheDestinLog.com
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Three people charged in local mortgage fraud schemes
June 09, 2011 8:41 PM
Lauren Sage Reinlie
Daily News
Tampa resident Dorothy Rodriguez, 54, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a mortgage fraud scheme in Navarre. Rodriguez is the third person federally indicted for mortgage fraud in the area this year, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Florida ranks No. 1 in the country for reported mortgage fraud, according to the Mortgage Asset Research Institute.

“Mortgage fraud is one of the most serious economic crimes in our area, and it has contributed significantly to the current economic crisis in Florida,” U.S. Attorney Pamela C. Marsh said in a news release Thursday.

In March, Annita Hawes, 46, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to federal charges of bank fraud and identity theft.

Hawes is charged with creating a false identity to obtain loans for the purchase of a $1.2 million Santa Rosa Beach home.

After the financial transactions were complete, about $172,400 was deposited into a bank account Hawes opened using an alias, according to the Justice Department.

Hawes is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 9. She faces a maximum of 30 years in prison for bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud and a maximum of five years for identity theft.

On Monday, Bryan A. Pool, 43, also of Los Angeles, pleaded not guilty to federal bank fraud charges after a jury indicted him in April.

The indictment alleges that Pool committed bank fraud during a purchase of a $1.5 million home in Inlet Beach in South Walton County. Pool allegedly obtained two mortgages from U.S. Bank N.A. to fund the purchase. After a series of financial transactions he received an electronic deposit of $124,920.

Pool’s trial is scheduled for Aug. 1. He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison for bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and a maximum of 20 years for conspiracy to commit money laundering.

On Wednesday Rodriguez waived her right to an indictment by a grand jury and pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud that affected a financial institution.

In her plea, Rodriguez admitted making false claims about her occupation and salary to obtain loans for the purchase of a $630,000 home in Navarre.

After closing on two loans with GMAC Mortgage, she received a $10,000 kickback as part of a larger payment of $33,912.79 to General Consultants Corp., a company that had no part in the sale, according to the federal court documents.

It was unclear from court documents who made the payment or what role the corporation may have played in the scandal.

Rodriguez is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 17. She faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.

Florida law enforcement officers and financial investigators worked with the FBI and the IRS to prosecute the cases in the state as part of a nationwide crackdown on mortgage fraud.

“We will continue to aggressively prosecute individuals who perpetrate this kind of devastating financial crime in our communities,” Marsh said in the release.