Randolph Woman Pleads Guilty in Mortgage Fraud Scheme

BOSTON, MA—A former Bank of America employee was convicted of wire fraud today in federal court for creating false documents to secure approval of mortgage loan applications.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Division; and Susan Dukes, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation - Boston Field Office, announced today that CLARISTA BRAMBLE, age 59, of Randolph, MA, pled guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro to an Information charging her with nine counts of wire fraud.

At today’s plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that had the case proceeded to trial the Government’s evidence would have proven that during the time BRAMBLE was a bank employee from December 2006 to July 2007, she created false bank documents reporting fictitious balances for accounts in the names of people applying for loans from mortgage lending companies. BRAMBLE received cash payments and other financial benefits from others engaged in the scheme, knowing the false documents would be used to fraudulently secure mortgage loans.

Judge Tauro scheduled sentencing for March 17, 2010. BRAMBLE faces up to 20 years' imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $ 250,000 fine on each count.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, with the assistance of Bank of America. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Victor A. Wild and Ryan M. DiSantis of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.