COOK COUNTY ILLINOIS JUDGE FOUND GUILTY OF MORTGAGE FRAUD

[Scales depiction from wikipedia]

Have you heard the news about the mortgage fraud conviction of Cook County Circuit Judge 

Judge Jessica Arong O’Brien?  Last week, she was found guilty in federal court of two fraud counts related to false statements she made in loan applications years before she took the bench. She reportedly lied about her income while purchasing two investment properties and then paid kickbacks to a straw purchaser who subsequently defaulted on the loans.

As Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Madden told the jury in closing argument, "she used lies to buy and sell these properties." Sentencing for Judge O'Brien will be reportedly be held at a later date.

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Accused of Mortgage Fraud

Lady Justice depiction from wikipedia]

I was a federal prosecutor in Augusta, Georgia for over 20 years. I thought I saw a little bit of everything! But I never saw a criminal charge brought against a judge. But that is exactly what happened on friday in the State of Michigan.

According to various news reports, a criminal information has been filed in federal court against Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway. Justice Hathaway is reportedly accused of mortgage fraud based upon alleged steps she took to conceal property she owned in Florida in connection with the sale of a Detroit home. 

In federal court, an "information" is simply the word which refers to the formal accusation, or the charging document, filed by an Assistant U.S. Attorney, in a criminal case. Generally, the government must obtain a grand jury indictment, in felony cases, unless the defendant is willing to waive it. If he or she waives the grand jury process, then the federal prosecutor is authorized to simply file the information, or accusation, to begin the criminal court process.

I thought that criminal charges being brought against a judge were unheard of. But then, I googled the keywords "criminal charge against judge" and got a long list of such cases.

So, maybe I didn't see "everything" after all, while working as a federal prosecutor!

New Task Force to Fight Mortgage Fraud in Georgia

I'll bet you'll never guess what the above four pictures have in common! Here's a hint: all four pictures relate to the State of Georgia, (where we, at The Goolsby Law Firm, practice law)! The simple answer is that Georgia leads the nation, (or is near the top), in the production of all four: broilers, (i.e. young chickens), along with cotton, peaches, and ...mortgage fraud! Actually, Georgia ranks only fourth in the nation as to the growing problem of mortgage fraud. But fortunately, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is reportedly trying to do something about it.

The Governor's office has announced plans to form a new mortgage fraud unit in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. I can tell you from experience, as a former federal prosecutor, that such task force units are essential to combatting complex crimes involving fraud, such as mortgage fraud.

While task forces may be costly, mortgage fraud is costly, too. According to a recent estimate, the State of Georgia has lost a whopping $144 million to mortgage fraud (and bank fraud) in the past four years. Here's hoping that the State of Georgia will follow through by creating the mortgage fraud task force soon. And here's also hoping that, in the near future, Georgia will rank high only in the production of young chickens, cotton, and peaches!