Delray Beach man found guilty in real estate mail fraud scheme

A Delray Beach man was found guilty of mail fraud yesterday in a real estate scam in which he forged the signatures of deceased individuals to take over their Cape Coral properties and cash in on their sales. The man, Jacob Ben-Ari, fraudulently sold two Cape Coral properties whose owners had been dead for years and took in $58,645 from the transaction, the jury decided. Prosecutors said Ben-Ari, who is free on bail until his Jan. 10 sentencing, at which he faces up to 30 years in prison, made more than $328,000 in total from 23 real estate transactions of this kind. Ben-Ari testified that he was set up by competitors and his attorney said he plans to appeal the verdict. [Fort Myers News-Press]