A Belton, Kan. real estate investor has been charged with mortgage fraud by federal prosecutors for the third time in less than a year, the Kansas City Star reported Monday.
Brent Michael Barber was accused of conspiracy and fraud in 66 felony counts in an indictment returned late Thursday afternoon, the Star reported. Prosecutors are also seeking forfeiture of about $4 million in cash or real estate, including Barber’s home in Loch Lloyd, Kan.
Two other men, Robert Dale Beckley and Roderick Neil Criss, also were named in the indictment, according to media accounts.
Barber and Criss have pleaded not guilty in related cases, the Star said. No court appearances have been scheduled. Barber’s attorney, Larry Schaffer, would not comment about the new indictment. Lawyers for the other men couldn’t be reached.
In August, Barber, Criss and two others were charged with conspiring to defraud a Gladstone mortgage company using false loan applications and inflated real estate appraisals, according to media accounts. Prosecutors alleged that the $4 million scheme ran from May to December 1999.
In October, Barber and Vernon David Williams were charged with counts alleging mortgage fraud and property flipping, according to media accounts. Because the conduct related to those charges was alleged to have occurred after the August indictment, an assistant U.S. attorney reportedly moved to have Barber’s bond revoked. A federal judge declined to jail Barber, appointing instead an independent lawyer to monitor his finances, according to the Star.
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