BOSTON MAN AND NYC WOMAN INDICTED FOR MORTGAGE FRAUD AND IDENTITY THEFT
BOSTON, Mass...A Dorchester man and a New York City woman were charged today in federal court in Boston in connection with their use of stolen identification to commit mortgage fraud.
PETERSON CHERIMOND, 33 and JUDY BONAS, 55, were jointly charged in an indictment with six counts of wire fraud and three counts of identity fraud. CHERIMOND was also charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of money laundering.
The indictment alleges that in 2006 the defendants used the stolen identification of a woman living in Boston to obtain fraudulent mortgage loans aggregating more than $ 1.5 million for three properties located in Brockton, Mattapan and Halifax, Mass. The indictment charges that CHERIMOND provided BONAS with bogus identification and paid BONAS to pose as the buyer at real estate closings, in order to obtain fraudulent loan proceeds for CHERIMOND and others.
If convicted on the wire fraud charges, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, on each count. On the identity fraud counts, each defendant faces up to 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of $ 250,000. CHERIMOND also faces up to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 on the money laundering count and a mandatory additional two years in prison to be served consecutively to any other sentence if he is convicted on the charge, of aggravated identity theft.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, Robert Bethel, Inspector In Charge for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and William P. Offord, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor A. Wild of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
