A mortgage fraud ring that allegedly obtained more than $10 million in loans on 30 properties in Broward County, Fla., has led to the indictment of 11 people accused of using straw buyers and stolen identities to defraud lenders.
Authorities are seeking the extradition of the alleged mastermind of the scheme, Yvette Scott Patterson, from Jamaica, along with her husband, Delroy.
Patterson, 40, allegedly used her mortgage business, Khadmilroy Inc., to carry out the scheme, taking in approximately $300,000 in loan closing fees, mortgage broker fees and yield premiums in connection with fraudulently procured mortgages.
Patterson, her husband and nine other defendants are accused of obtaining mortgages from lenders using straw purchasers and through the submission of false documentation, including false loan applications, false employment verification forms, false salary statements, and false bank account statements reflecting high account balances. The defendants also allegedly used false or stolen Florida driver’s licenses, identification cards, and Social Security numbers as their personal identification at closings.
Also charged are Christine Brown, 30, of Fort Lauderdale; Megan McGuire, 40, of Miramar; Roosevelt Dozier, 39, of Hollywood; Ishmael Grant, 59, of Lauderhill; Mavis Grant, 62, of Lauderhill; Adewui Majaro, 42, of North Miami; Mark Reid, 36, of Miramar; Audrey Lynch, 36, of Fort Lauderdale; and Fitzgerald Puddie, 32, of Hollywood and Toronto, Canada.
All are charged in a conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity fraud, and with several substantive counts of mail fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity fraud.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum term of imprisonment of up to five years on the conspiracy charge, up to 20 years’ imprisonment on each of 19 counts of mail and wire fraud counts, and from two to 15 years’ imprisonment on each of 26 counts of aggravated identity fraud.
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said the case was investigated by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.
