Two California Men Indicted for $8.5 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 19, 2011 |
KANSAS CITY, MO—Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two California men were indicted by a federal grand jury today for a mortgage fraud scheme that defrauded a failed Sugar Creek, Mo., bank of more than $8.5 million.
Robert Charles Ramirez, 37, of Salinas, Calif., and William Troy Goings, 36, of Sacramento, Calif., were charged in a 20-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.
Today’s indictment alleges that Ramirez and Goings defrauded American Sterling Bank in Sugar Creek in a mortgage fraud scheme that lasted from Oct. 11, 2006, to Jan. 18, 2007. American Sterling Bank was closed on April 17, 2009.
According to the indictment, Ramirez and Goings acted as finders for a California mortgage broker who owned Capital Pro Lending. They recruited borrowers and prepared loan applications for those borrowers. Ramirez and Goings allegedly submitted fraudulent loan applications and supporting documents that contained false information about the borrowers’ income, assets, and liabilities, and credit history.
American Sterling Bank approved loans totaling $8,587,893 for 19 properties in California, the indictment says. Ramirez allegedly received approximately $211,523; Goings received an unknown amount.
In addition to the conspiracy, Ramirez and Goings are charged together in 19 counts of bank fraud.
Phillips cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Linda Parker Marshall. It was investigated by the FBI and the FDIC, Office of Inspector General.