Two Arrested in Connection with Mortgage Scam

Las Vegas, NV Thomas F. Gentile age 56 and Julio C. Martinez age 61, both of Las Vegas, Nevada, have been arrested on multiple charges of theft, mortgage fraud, identity theft and forgery. An arrest warrant has been issued for a third suspect, Justin M. Sabo age 30, of Huntington Beach, California, whose whereabouts are unknown at this time. The charges stem from the groups involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain a mortgage loan against a property owned by Gentiles former employer without the knowledge or consent of the former employer. Mortgage fraud continues to be the fastest growing caseload within my office, said Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto. These individuals are charged with obtaining a mortgage on the home of an elderly couple without their consent. The alleged conduct in this case is especially egregious. Following an investigation by the Attorney Generals Mortgage Fraud Task Force, the Attorney Generals office alleges that between January 2009 and March of 2009, Sabo, Gentile and Martinez fraudulently obtained and used the identifying personal information of Gentiles former employer, to obtain a $65,000 mortgage loan against the property owned by the victim. The victim and his wife are senior citizens, who had paid cash for their home and did not hold a mortgage on the property. The loan was obtained from a group of hard money lenders who were also victimized when they approved the loan without knowledge that the loan application was fraudulent. The victim homeowner and his wife were not aware that the suspects had fraudulently obtained a loan against their home until they received a notice of foreclosure for non payment, at which time they reported it to the Attorney Generals office. Several of the counts alleged in the criminal complaint contain sentencing enhancements due to the fact that many of the victims are senior citizens. The indictment is not a determination of guilt or innocence, but is a finding of probable cause that a crime was committed. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Anyone who has information regarding this case should contact the Attorney Generals Office at 486-3221 in Las Vegas or 684-1180 in Carson City.