24 Charged In Pittsburgh Mortgage Fraud; Task Force CreatedPOSTED: 2:56 pm EST February 4,
2008 PITTSBURGH -- Federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh have charged 24 people in connection with various mortgage fraud schemes.U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan said on Monday that the suspects include mortgage brokers, appraisers and home buyers. They're accused of schemes including property flipping, submitting fraudulent documents, overstating income and assets, and serving as straw buyers.Buchanan said the fraud includes hundreds of properties and is valued at more than $13 million."Mortgage fraud is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the country and in our region," she said, after announcing the charges.Also on Monday, Buchanan said federal, state and local agencies would be part of a new investigative unit called the Western Pennsylvania Mortgage Fraud Task Force.She said people who think they are victims of mortgage fraud may report their stories via a new hot line: 412-894-7550. The task force will then investigate those claims.Scams can take various forms, but the majority take place when mortgage brokers submit loan applications on behalf of potential homeowners with false information, Buchanan said."Sometimes the purchaser doesn't even have an idea that these fraudulent documents are being submitted," she said.Indictments were handed up for 24 people representing Pope Financial Services and Sprouts Mortgage, Precision Mortgage, People's Home Mortgage, T&T Financial and America's Mortgage Outlet.Some of the suspects are identified as:Michael McFerron Pope, 43, of Upper St. Clair, chared with conspiracy and money launderingJames Andrew Spike, 43, of Republic, charged with conspiracyMarlin Sprouts, 52, of Uniontown, charged with conspiracyAnthony Fields, 38, of Whitehall, charged with wire fraud conspiracyAlice Fields, 28, of Pittsburgh, charged with wire fraud conspiracyRaymond Fields, 26, formerly of Whitehall, charged with wire fraud conspiracyRandy Carretta, 44, of Whitehall, charged with wire fraud conspiracyJason Jester, 38, of South Park, charged with wire fraud conspiracyAaron McCarthy, 43, of Pittsburgh, charged with wire fraud conspiracyAndrea Revak, 47, of Baldwin, charged with wire fraud conspiracyJoyce Davern, 66, of Whitehall, charged with wire fraud conspiracyKelly Fields, 35, of Whitehall, charged with wire fraud conspiracySabrina Stetter, 46, formerly of Pittsburgh, charged with wire fraud conspiracyWayne Fumea, 61, of Blairsville, charged with conspiracyCharges against Sprouts, Spike and Pope are related to similar counts against Tiffany Sprouts, who has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing, Buchanan said. Related Links: More County NewsGet RSS | E-Mail Alerts Copyright 2009 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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