Mortgage fraud scheme ends in arrests

An alleged straw buyer scheme for $10 million worth of fake mortgages on Broward properties ended with the arrests of seven people. Court papers said Anthony Dehaney, Andrea Dehaney, Howard Gaines, Marcia Mestre, Beverly Ireland, Angela Manalasay and Donna Grant conspired to submit fraudulent mortgage applications and documents to lenders. Dehaney was named as the ringleader of the alleged scam, which used straw buyers and dummy corporations to apply for mortgages and set up bank accounts. Gaines, who operated Your Title Choice in Fort Lauderdale, was charged with accepting checks from suspicious parties he knew to be controlled by Dehaney as escrow for purchases he knew Dehaney had no interest in as a buyer or seller.