Mortgage Fraud CrimesPosted on: November 19, 2009 at 5:55 p.m.Not all crimes in Los Angeles involve the use of violent force. While violent criminals accused of such crimes as assault or theft are generally apprehended by police officers in blue uniforms, people who commit crimes such as fraud are usually arrested by federal agents in white shirts and ties, hence the name white collar crime. As the real estate market in Los Angeles keeps spiraling downward, many people are talking about mortgage fraud crimes. Typical mortgage fraud crimes include the falsification of mortgage loan documents, fraudulently inflating the value of real estate, or, most recently, home loan modification fraud. It is illegal in Los Angeles to make false statements on a home loan or credit application. Fudging the numbers on reported income, assets or debt has been a frequent practice by loan officers as well as people seeking a home loan in recent years. Whoever misrepresents the financial or identification information on a loan or credit card application could be charged with a federal crime and sent to prison for it. In some cases, real estate industry insiders in Los Angeles have been caught working together to falsely inflate the value of a residential or commercial property. If banks, real estate agents and appraisers all work together to say a home is worth more than it actually is, and someone actually buys the house, they can all make more money, right? Well, they can also all go to prison together for fraud. White collar crime is in the news quite a bit lately, and this could add the further complication of a biased jury. As the local economy in Los Angeles continues to be affected by high unemployment and job losses, many people are turning to mortgage loan modification to avoid foreclosure on their homes. While home loan modification is a legitimate path to stabilizing your finances, several unscrupulous loan modification organizations have sprung up to take advantage of desperate people. Some mortgage loan modification organizations actually ask homeowners in need of help to send their mortgage payments to a third party. Trusting homeowners usually find out a few months down the line that their supposed mortgage payments never actually got to their lenders and now they are in an even more precarious position. Note that none of these white collar crimes involved the use of physical force, but all of them could enormously damage the lives of others. White collar crimes may seem less important or less serious than violent crimes such as assault or murder, but being convicted of a crime such as fraud in Los Angeles is still a very serious matter. If convicted, you could be fined up to $1,000,000 and sent to a federal prison for up to 30 years. If you have been charged with a white collar crime, call the criminal defense attorneys at Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP today. With your whole future on the line, you need an attorney experienced in defending these type of charges. Let us fight for you. Tagged as: untagged Drug crime and the WWEPosted on: September 18, 2009 at 4:39 p.m.Former professional wrestling champ Jeff Hardy was arrested in Cameron, NC on September 11th 2009 on charges of drug possession. Police conducted a search of the wrestler’s home, where officers discovered 262 Vicodin pills, 180 Soma pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids and a residual amount of cocaine. Police say the drugs confiscated from the home were worth an estimated street value of about $2,500. Hardy, one half of the WWE tag team duo The Hardy Boyz, was arrested on charges of "trafficking in controlled prescription pills" as well as possession of anabolic steroids. According to reports, there are five charges against Hardy, one misdemeanor and four felonies, including felony drug possession with intent to sell and deliver. Although it was not immediately clear to the police whether or not Hardy actually intended to sell the drugs, he was charged with drug trafficking due to the sheer volume of drugs in his possession. Unless evidence is brought forward that Hardy was not attempting to resell his prescription pills and steroids, the wrestler faces up to 14 years in prison for this drug crime. Police and prosecutors take drug crime very seriously. Hardy’s drug crime, like many others, could in fact be a misunderstanding, or blown out of proportion to get a conviction. Without a skilled Los Angeles drug crime lawyer looking out for your best interests, you might find yourself at the mercy of the criminal justice system. Everyone makes mistakes, and in the case of drug possession, one mistake or poor decision has the potential to land you behind bars for a very long time. If you’ve been accused of, arrested for or charged with a drug crime, contact the attorneys at Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin. Whether it is drug possession or trafficking, our team of Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys will provide you with the thorough defense you need. Don’t let a mistake or a bad decision ruin the rest of your life. Tagged as: untagged Kestenbaum Eisner & Gorin LLP has been recognized as one of the best U.S. law firms, based on the experience, professionalism, and ethics of its criminal defense lawyers and attorneys. We aggressively defend clients in all Southern California courtrooms on state and federal charges, including DUI, DMV, misdemeanor, felony, juvenile cases, in the following communities and courthouses. |
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