Denver Family Accused Of Running Long-Time Mortgage Fraud Ring
DENVER (AP/CBS4) - Six members of a Denver family are accused of conspiring to run a mortgage-fraud scheme that cost lenders up to $4.6 million.
A 37-page indictment announced Wednesday accuses Jose Ricardo Sarabia-Martinez and Lauren Maes Sarabia of crimes spanning two decades. The other four charged in the indictment are Sarabia-Martinez's twin brothers and parents.
The Denver Post reports that the family is accused of seeking gullible would-be homeowners, then falsifying documents to artificially inflate their worth and acquire multiple mortgages. Properties were then illegally acquired, with the homeowners' credit ruined.
"Through an elaborate scheme of falsifying documents and identities then propping up straw buyers, this family played on gullible people wanting to live the dream of homeownership," Attorney General John Suthers said in a statement. "Properties were illegally acquired, money was stolen, credit histories ruined, and houses ended up in foreclosure. My office will aggressively pursue those who willingly cause foreclosures and I thank our partner agencies for their painstaking efforts."
Criminal charges include violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, forgery, theft, attempt to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation.
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