Employees at Woodbridge Real Estate Company Sentenced 24 Months for Mortgage Fraud
Another Alleged Conspirator Arrested

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Two former employees of a Woodridge-based real estate company were each sentenced to 24 months in prison today for their roles in a large mortgage fraud conspiracy. A third alleged member of the conspiracy was also recently arrested on related charges.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Keith Fixel, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing.

According to court documents, Cari V. Deuterman, 32, of Raleigh, N.C., and Christopher E. Tonkinson, 32, of Centreville, Va., were employed from 2006 to 2008 by Total Realty Management (TRM), a real estate company that focused on the marketing of undeveloped, sub-divided lots located in North Carolina and South Carolina. The company marketed these lots to many purchasers in northern Virginia and assisted the buyers in their efforts to obtain financing. Deuterman and Tonkinson routinely falsified the loan applications of prospective lot purchasers who did not qualify for financing by inflating their income, the value and/or existence of real estate owned, and the value of any liquid assets held by the loan applicant. They also falsified the names of employment titles and positions of applicants.

Deuterman pled guilty on July 15, 2010, to conspiracy to commit bank and mail fraud and was found to be responsible for loans involving seven different properties, which resulted in nearly $2 million in losses to various lending banks. Tonkinson pled guilty on Sept. 22, 2010, to conspiracy to commit bank and mail fraud and was responsible for two property loans resulting in a loss of nearly $630,000. Both were ordered to forfeit property and pay full restitution to the financial institutions.

In addition, another former employee at TRM, Michael John McCracken, 31, of Herndon, Va., was arrested on Dec. 7, 2010, on allegations of participating in a similar mortgage fraud conspiracy at the company. According to an affidavit filed with the court, McCracken worked at the company from 2006 to 2008 and directed and assisted TRM employees as they allegedly carried out efforts to falsify loan applications to lending institutions. He was also charged with illegally possessing firearms and ammunition. The affidavit alleges that McCracken has a gun safe at his home, which contained 10-12 rifles, a handgun, and six to eight boxes of ammunition, all of which he is prohibited from possessing due to a previous felony conviction. McCracken has been ordered detained by the court based on a determination that he was a risk of flight.

On Aug. 27, 2010, another former employee of TRM, Aaron V. Hernandez, 41, of McLean, Va., was sentenced to 63 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for his role in running a mortgage fraud scheme he learned first at TRM and then utilized through a mortgage company he formed, which ultimately caused more than $4.5 million in losses.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark D. Lytle and Inayat Delawala prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pacer.login.uscourts.gov.