Orlando, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Maria Del Carmen Montes (46, Kissimmee) has pleaded guilty to three counts of bank fraud. Each bank fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. Montes was indicted, along with coconspirator Carlos Ferrer, on July 20, 2022.According to the plea agreement, Montes, coconspirator Ferrer, and others created and executed a mortgage fraud scheme targeting…

ATLANTA – U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis hosted a Safe Housing Summit on December 14, 2023, to promote health and safety for tenants living in HUD-assisted housing.“Our office is determined to address inequities in our district that exist in underserved communities who must heavily rely on HUD’s housing assistance programs,” said U.S. Attorney Buchanan…

MACON, Ga. – The former payroll clerk for the Milledgeville Housing Authority (MHA) has admitted she stole $575,000 by overpaying herself and entered a guilty plea in federal court today for her crime.Jennifer Kay Smith, 49, of Eatonton, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of federal program theft before U.S. District Senior Judge Marc Treadwell today. Smith faces a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment to be followed by three years of…

ATLANTA - Matthew Allen Dickason, who was the owner of an Atlanta law firm, has pleaded guilty to federal charges arising from a scheme to defraud the firm’s clients. “It is shameful for an attorney to abuse the trust placed in him by his clients, but that is exactly what Dickason did,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “He misappropriated millions of dollars belonging to his clients for his personal benefit with no regard for how his…

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul Byron has sentenced Omayra Ujaque (52, St. Cloud) to two years and eight months in federal prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Ujaque was convicted at trial on April 13, 2023. According to evidence presented at trial, Ujaque, in her capacity as a licensed mortgage loan officer, created and executed a mortgage fraud scheme targeting the financial institution where she worked. To…

ATLANTA - Maurice Lawson has been sentenced to federal prison for obtaining nearly a half a million dollars by submitting multiple fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) applications. “Congress enacted the Paycheck Protection Program to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawson took advantage of a federal…

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Oliver Barrington King (44, Deland) has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds. King faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. In addition, King has agreed to forfeit $16,618.91, the amount he obtained as a result of the offense. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. According to the plea agreement, King was the property manager for an…

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Omayra Ujaque (52, St. Cloud) guilty of three counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Ujaque faces a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment for each bank fraud count and a mandatory 2-year sentence for the aggravated identity theft county. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 5, 2023. Ujaque had been indicted…

Orlando, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Maria Del Carmen Montes (46, Kissimmee) with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, four counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.  If convicted, Montes faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on the conspiracy count, up to 30 years for each fraud count, and a mandatory penalty of 2 years’…

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A loan officer is accused in a bizarre scheme to help home buyers get bigger loans than they might have qualified for otherwise. She was working for a mortgage company in Kissimmee, at the time, and later started her own business. Court records show she is also accused of stealing the identities of judges. According to the federal indictment, she is accused of making fake divorce documents, including forging judges’…

Orlando, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Evelisse Hernandez (40, Kissimmee) with four counts of bank fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in federal prison on each bank fraud count and a mandatory consecutive 2 years’ imprisonment on the aggravated identity theft counts. The indictment also notifies Hernandez that the United States…

ATLANTA – Atlanta real estate agent Eric Hill has been sentenced for his participation in a mortgage fraud scheme that netted more than $21 million in fraudulent mortgage loans.  Many of the fraudulent loans were insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), resulting in over $850,000 in claims being paid for mortgages that have defaulted.  Hill also engaged in a scheme to defraud his employer, a national real estate developer…

ATLANTA - Camelia Revels, a former case manager at HOPE Atlanta, and Katrise Jones, a property agent, have pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging them with conspiring to steal approximately $124,000 in federal funds intended to help homeless veterans. “The defendants betrayed the trust of veterans who came to them for help,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “The victims are men and women who sacrificed for their country…

ATLANTA – Twelve defendants have been charged in a mortgage fraud scheme allegedly spanning more than four years and resulting in the approval of more than 100 mortgages based on fabricated documents and false information.  Many of the loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) resulting in claims being paid for mortgages that have gone through loan modification. “These defendants allegedly used their knowledge of the…

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Vladimir Volgaev (69, Sarasota) to two years and nine months in federal prison for theft of government property and smuggling goods from the United States, in violation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The court also ordered Volgaev to forfeit $6,835, which is traceable to proceeds of the offense. Volgaev had pleaded guilty on August 19, 2019. According to…