Wicked Local West Roxbury and Roslindale

GateHouse News Service, Posted Apr 02, 2012 @ 08:00 PM

http://www.wickedlocal.com/west-roxbury/news/x221030931/Roslindale-woman-faces-bank-fraud-money-laundering-charges#axzz1r1b3KeAV

Roslindale —A paralegal was charged late Thursday in connection with a multi-year, multi-property mortgage fraud scheme, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.

Rebecca L. Konsevick, 40, of Roslindale, was charged with bank fraud and money laundering, according to the statement.

If convicted on the bank fraud counts, Konsevick faces up to 30 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and a $1 million fine, the release stated. If convicted of money laundering, Konsevick faces up to 10 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, according to the statement.

The charges allege that from 2006 through 2008, Konsevick committed fraud in connection with condominium sales in Massachusetts, the release said. It is alleged that a developer identified multiple-family buildings for sale, recruited straw buyers to purchase the buildings and that the developer and others then recruited straw buyers to purchase units in buildings that the developer controlled, according to the statement.

It is further alleged that the straw buyers’ financing for the purchases was obtained by falsely representing key information to lenders, the release states. The developer and others allegedly caused loan applications containing false representations regarding the buyers’ income, employment, assets, and/or intention to live in the condominiums to be submitted to mortgage lenders, according to the release.

In addition, Konsevick and the developer caused HUD-1 settlement statements to be submitted to the same lenders, falsely representing that straw buyers had paid funds in connection with the property transactions, and falsely representing how the proceeds of the mortgage loans were disbursed, according to the statement. It is further alleged that Konsevick falsely signed certifications on these HUD-1 settlement statements and closed the relevant property deals, the press release said.

U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Steven Ricciardi, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service; William P. Offord, special agent in charge of the Internal Revenue Services Criminal Investigation in Boston; Robert Bethel, inspector in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Cortez Richardson, special agent in charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General made the announcement on Friday. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan M. DiSantis of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.