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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
March 27, 2008
FEDERAL WIRE FRAUD CHARGES FILED AGAINST ONLINE MORTGAGE LOAN OFFICER
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – James K. Lamm, 42, Olathe, Kan., is charged with eight counts of wire fraud.
He is accused of fraudulently inflating real estate appraisals so that mortgage loans would be approved that otherwise would not have been approved. In that way he increased his income from commissions on the mortgage transactions he handled.
According to the indictment, from July 23, 2001, to July 9, 2004, Lamm worked for the Bank of Blue Valley, which has six banking locations in Johnson County, Kan. He was employed as a mortgage specialist for the bank’s online mortgage operation, which was called InternetMortgage.com. He was one of approximately 120 employees working in an office at 7900 College Boulevard, Overland Park, Kan.
Lamm received emails from appraisers containing property appraisals. He forwarded the appraisals to another email address, altered them, and sent them back to his email address at work. More than $1.5 million worth of mortgage loans were made as a result of the falsified appraisals, the indictment says.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Hare and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marietta Parker are prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
A grand jury meeting Thursday in Kansas City also returned the following indictments:
Toni Maltbia, 36, is charged with seven counts of bank fraud.
According to the indictment, Maltbia and others stole items that contained information about checking accounts of people who were customers of UMB Bank. She forged checks purportedly drawn on accounts at other banks and made them payable to UMB bank customers whose account information had been stolen. Maltbia presented the forged checks to UMB, depositing part of the amount and receiving the remainder in cash.
The forged checks were presented at UMB Bank branches at 8300 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan.; 601 Minnesota, Kansas City, Kan.; 11101 W. 87th Street, Overland Park, Kan.; and 7128 W. 119th Street, Overland Park, Kan. The crimes occurred at various times from Aug. 31, 2005, to Oct. 7, 2005.
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon Patton is prosecuting.
Quentin Hailey, 32, Topeka, Kan., and Silas Swopes, 39, Overland Park, Kan., are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin within 1,000 feet of Westridge Middle School in Shawnee Mission, Kan., and one count of distributing heroin within 1,000 feet of the school. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 27, 2007.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 80 years in federal prison and a fine up to $4 million on the possession charge, and a maximum penalty of 40 years and a fine up to $2 million on the distribution charge. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri McCracken is prosecuting.
Phillip P. Figures, 28, is charged with possession of marijuana while he was an inmate at the U.S. penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kan. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 27, 2007.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting.
Brian K. Jackson, 36, is charged with possession of marijuana while he was an inmate at the U.S. penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kan. The crime is alleged to have occurred Dec. 30, 2006.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting.
Jesus Landeros-Bautista, 54, who is not a citizen of the United States, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the country after being deported. He was found Feb. 26, 2008, in Douglas County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 2 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot is prosecuting.
Darrell Lawson, 32, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 9, 2007, in Kansas City, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and fine up to $4 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon Patton is prosecuting.
Michael L. Richards, 41, is charged with two counts of distributing marijuana, one count of maintaining a residence at 1201 Gilmore, Kansas City, Kan., for the purpose of distributing marijuana, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in February and March 2008 in Wyandotte County, Kan.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
– Distribution: A maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
– Maintaining a residence for drug trafficking: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.
– Possession with intent to distribute: A maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count
– Possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking: Not less than 5 years and not more than life and a fine up to $250,000.
– Unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.
Alan R. Maeck, 38, is charged with one count of manufacturing methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred at various times from September 2007 through Jan. 14, 2008, in Miami County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $4 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Smith is prosecuting.
As in any criminal case, a person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal
conduct.
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