In the past two weeks, federal prosecutors have charged at least eight real estate professionals with some type of mortgage fraud in Duval and St. Johns counties.<\/p>\n
One already has pleaded guilty and another is scheduled to Monday. U.S. Attorney A. Brian Albritton said there are dozens more people under investigation who he expects to be indicted in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Through a spearheaded effort of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office dubbed,\u00a0 \u201cMortgage Fraud Surge,\u201d investigations that typically take years\u00a0have been accelerated to 10\u00a0months in Jacksonville, Orlando and the Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n
Real estate is so important to the economy of Florida. Unfortunately it\u2019s earned the moniker \u2018Ponzi state,\u2019\u201d Albritton said. He said fraud was pervasive in Florida\u2019s real estate boom but wasn\u2019t really discovered until the bottom fell out.<\/p>\n
Those charged the past two weeks include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Sharon Keller Baker, office manager of a Jacksonville title services company.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Joseph Cirlot, a former mortgage broker in St. Johns County.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Jennifer Rosemarie Genus of Jacksonville, employee of an unnamed company that sold property.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Donna Nelson Gurlides, a Jacksonville real estate agent.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Timothy Lee Miller of Jacksonville, a production manager for a mortgage company.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Christopher Reid, a St. Johns County mortgage broker.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Barry Westergom, a Jacksonville appraiser who pleaded guilty Oct. 8.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Winslow Ballenger Wheeler, a St. Johns County mortgage broker.<\/p>\n