Press Release
“OPERATION WHOSE HOUSE” MORTGAGE BROKER EXTRADITED FROM JAMAICA SENTENCED TO 70 MONTHS IN PRISON
October 16, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael K. Fithen, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, Henry Gutierrez, Postal Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, James M. Foster, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Amos Rojas, Special Agent in Charge, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and J. Thomas Cardwell Commissioner, State of Florida, Office of Financial Regulation, announced today that defendant Yvette Scott Patterson was sentenced today on federal charges in connection with “Operation Whose House.”
U.S. District Judge William Dimitrouleas at the Fort Lauderdale Federal Courthouse this afternoon sentenced Patterson to a term of 70 months in jail, 3 years supervised release, and imposed restitution of $110,000. Following serving her term in jail Patterson will be deported back to Jamaica.
Patterson pled guilty back on August 3, 2009 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and one count of aggravated identity theft in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme she operated in Broward County, FL.
Yvette Scott Patterson was arrested on March 8, 2008, and detained in Kingston, Jamaica, pending extradition to the United States. Patterson had fled the U.S. in early 2006 after being arrested and released on separate state charges. Patterson was extradited to the U.S. on the federal charges on May 18, 2009.
Patterson was indicted on November 7, 2006 as part of “Operation Whose House,” a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme in Broward County. The “Operation Whose House” indictment charged Yvette Scott Patterson and others with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and identity theft in connection with the mortgage fraud on numerous properties in Broward County, FL, involving more than $10,000,000 in fraud. According to the Indictment and documents filed with the court, Patterson submitted fraudulent mortgage applications and false documentation to lenders around the U.S. using straw buyers and the stolen identity of innocent victims. To date, nine defendants have pled guilty as part of Operation Whose House. One additional defendant was convicted after trial and was sentenced to 97 months in jail.
The Operation Whose House investigation has been a joint investigative effort between the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, and the State of Florida Office of Financial Regulation. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Kay and Jennifer Keene.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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