A man described by authorities as one of Oregon’s most prolific con men is back in jail after ignoring a federal judge who banned him from any real estate deals while he appeals a three-year prison sentence, media reports said.
Prosecutors allege that since his federal conviction two years ago, Cleburne Jr. Brigham has run an illegal mortgage brokerage company, falsified loan documents and scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Associated Press reported.
Brigham, 57, was allowed to remain free while he appealed his sentence to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, AP reported. U.S. District Judge Ancer Haggerty, however, warned Brigham to comply with a state law banning him from acting as a mortgage broker, according to AP.
But prosecutors said Brigham defied Haggerty’s order so they brought him back to court on Aug. 2 and asked Haggerty to jail him during his appeal, AP reported. Brigham asked for a delay, and Haggerty consented but ordered Brigham not to engage in any real estate dealings, according to AP.
Within days, prosecutors said, Brigham was on the phone trying to make real estate deals, according to voicemail transcripts submitted to the court Aug. 26, AP reported.
Brigham was arrested Aug. 29 at his $1 million home in Washougal, Wash., media reports said.
“We have a long and frustrating history with C.J. Brigham,” Jan Margosian of the Oregon attorney general’s office told AP. “He has hurt so many people, including those whose life savings were wrapped up in real property that he converted to his own use.”
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