Birmingham Woman Pleads Guilty to Three Counts of Federal Wire Fraud

BIRMINGHAM—A Birmingham woman pleaded guilty today in federal court to wire fraud in connection to $286,960 in mortgage loans, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Haley, III.

Christie Dionne Taylor, 32, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler to three counts of wire fraud. She has agreed to forfeit $286,960 to the government as proceeds of illegal activity.

The wire fraud charges arose from three mortgage transactions conducted by Taylor between May 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009. Taylor caused fraudulent mortgage loan applications and supporting documents to be sent to various lenders throughout the country. In each of those applications, Taylor created false documents that claimed the borrowers were receiving monthly disability benefits from the Social Security Administration, according to Taylor’s plea agreement with the government. The borrowers received no such benefits, and Taylor also created other fraudulent documents in an effort to get the individuals approved for mortgage loans.

According to the various lenders, if Taylor had accurately reported the income on the submitted documents and mortgage applications, or not submitted the other false documents, these borrowers would not have been eligible to receive the mortgage loans. In total, because of the fraudulent activities, $286,960 in loans was approved for borrowers purchasing properties sold by Taylor.

The maximum sentence for wire fraud is 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The FBI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney is prosecuting.