41 DEFENDANTS CHARGED IN SEPARATE SCHEMES THAT RESULTED IN APPROXIMATELY $40 MILLION IN FRAUDULENT MORTGAGES

Defendants include Bankers, Appraisers, Mortgage Brokers, Title Agents, Real Estate Agents, and Straw Buyers

Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael K. Fithen, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, Antonio J. Gomez, Acting Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division, Michael J. Folmar, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Jon T. Rymer, Inspector General, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), Kenneth M. Donohue, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), Miami Field Office, Linda Charity, Acting Commissioner, State of Florida Office of Financial Regulation, and Robert Parker, Director, Miami-Dade Police Department, announced charges against 41 defendants in six separate cases, resulting in more than $40 million in fraudulent loans. Today’s cases reaffirm the joint federal and local commitment to crack-down on mortgage fraud perpetrators, first announced in September 2007.

On September 27, 2007, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a joint Federal-State Mortgage Fraud Initiative, designed to combat the growing mortgage fraud epidemic in South Florida. The Mortgage Fraud Initiative brought together federal and state law enforcement to investigate and prosecute federally a myriad of mortgage fraud offenders, from straw purchasers, to mortgage brokers, to complicit bank employees, title agents, and attorneys. Thereafter, in June 2008, building upon the success of the Mortgage Fraud Initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its federal, state and local law enforcement partners, created a Mortgage Fraud Strike Force, comprised of experienced prosecutors, agents, and officers, dedicated exclusively to investigating and prosecuting mortgage fraud cases.

The Mortgage Fraud Strike Force has yielded substantial results. Since September 2007, 218 individuals have been charged for their involvement in mortgage fraud schemes that have resulted or were intended to result in nearly $300 million in mortgage loans.

Today, Acting U.S. Attorney Sloman, joined by members of the Federal-State Mortgage Fraud Initiative and Strike Force, announced the following additional mortgage fraud prosecutions:

1. United States v. Mayra Rodriguez, et al., Case No. 09-20628-CR-Graham.

On July 23, 2009, nineteen (19) defendants were charged in a 20-count Indictment for their participation in a mortgage fraud scheme that resulted in approximately $21 million in fraudulent loans. Charged in the Indictment were defendants Mayra Rodriguez, 31; Lucia Peluffo, 29; Nelson Bermudez, 36; Yamile Segurola, 24, all of Miami; Carlos Rodriguez, 29, of Homestead; Mayelin Salas, 36, of Miami Springs; Nelida Rodriguez, 48,of Opa Locka; Sonya Balmaseda, 35, of Hialeah; Jorge Egeraige, 38, of Hialeah; Jaime Rojas, 39, of North Miami Beach; Alejandro Rabelo,49, of Miami Beach; Pedro Huezo, 58, of Opa Locka; Jose Arriete, 53; Gerard Wenzel, 50; Elias Fleites, 55; Marcelo Fernandez, 41; Lucy Segurola, 51; Ricardo Segurola, 51; and Jorge Lugo, 46, all of Miami.

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