Prosecutors charge eight in $39 million Fort Lauderdale mortgage fraud scheme

US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Wifredo Ferrer has unsealed a federal indictment charging eight defendants in a $39 million mortgage fraud scheme. The defendants allegedly used fraud to obtain mortgages for the purchase of condominium units at Fort Lauderdale’s Marina Oaks Condominiums. Of the defendants, who come from New York, Colombia and Florida, one remains at large. They have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud. — Alexander Britell