(SAN FRANCISCO LoanSafe.org)- It was reported last week by the FBIS’s San Francisco district that Doris Anyanwu and her husband Hyacinth Udeh of San Ramon, California, were convicted for fraud this past Wednesday after a weeklong trial.
The Nigerian couple, who were employed by a Bay Area mortgage broker were convicted of wire fraud and immigration fraud. The couple had initially taken part in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme that was discovered by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement‘s Homeland Security Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.
Both of the fraudsters are each guilty of a count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 4 counts of the actual wire fraud, and 4 counts of making false claims that they’re legitimate US citizens. Anyanwu was convicted as well for a count of money laundering. The 2 defendants were working for New Era Mortgage and Realty in Union City, Calif.
Court records reveal that the California couple had secured 10 mortgages that came to a total of roughly $3.6 million in loans, in order to purchase 4 residential properties that were in Hayward, Oakland and San Ramon California.
The native Nigerians were concluded by the jury, to have planned with Andrew Ashiegbu and his wife Linda Ashiegbu (Doris Anyanwu’s sister), and Ursula Ogamba, a family friend, to attain loans from multiple lenders by producing falsified representations on the loan applications. Ashiegbu, a licensed real estate broker, and his wife Linda owned and operated New Era Mortgage and Realty in Union City, Calif. Ogamba, also a licensed broker, co-owned EZ Mortgage Realty in Tracy, Calif.
The counterfeit representations made by Anyanwu and Udeh involved overstating their gross monthly income and asset balances. They also had lied on the applications by falsely claiming to be legitimate and legal citizens of the US. To validate their claims, the couple provided lenders falsified documentation related to factors such as rent payments, employment, W-2 forms, and altered bank statements.
In a past case, Andrew and Linda Ashiegbu had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. Ogamba (the family friend) pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and to making false declarations before the grand jury. Anyanwu, Udeh and both of the Ashiegbus are scheduled to be sentenced on May 18. Ogamba’s sentencing is set for May 25.
Conspiracy of wire fraud and bank fraud holds charges of a maximum penalty of 30 years to prison. The sentencing charges also include a fine of $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss involved in conspiracy, or whichever is greater. Actual wire fraud holds a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of 250k. The highest penalty for financial transactions using criminally derived property is 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for bogus declarations before the grand jury is five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for false claim to U.S. citizenship is three years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
The sentencing of all of the defendants are to be carried out, accordingly with all of the legitimate laws of the United States. As we conclude with this release, we at LoanSafe would like to give out typical caution to regular citizens or conspirators of crime out there; crime does not pay, ever. If you’re caught (and people have been getting caught right and left every day) you will suffer possibly a decade or more for you past misdeeds.
