The U.S. Attorney’s Office works together with state and federal agencies to pursue civil and criminal remedies against perpetrators of mortgage fraud. In support of our efforts to hold more con artists accountable and deter similar conduct, we established a joint state/federal Maryland Mortgage Fraud Task Force. The task force brings together the agencies that regulate and investigate mortgage fraud in order to coordinate our enforcement actions, identify appropriate cases for criminal investigation and secure resources to prosecute them.

The Task Force’s goals include: (1) streamline the procedures for criminal mortgage fraud referrals; (2) develop and implement a training program for state and federal investigators and prosecutors who handle mortgage fraud cases; (3) share useful information with and facilitate cooperation among the many agencies that have a stake in these cases; (4) track open investigations to ensure that partners agencies do not duplicate their efforts; (5) pursue asset forfeiture and secure restitution for victims; and (6) communicate information to the public in order to warn people about common schemes and help prevent them from becoming victims of mortgage fraud and related financial crimes.

The Task Force also targets opportunistic schemes spawned by the mortgage crisis and economic downturn, such as the so-called “foreclosure-prevention” specialists who prey on homeowners who fall behind on their mortgage payments.