Laura Johnson, 47, Crystal Lake, Illinois, was indicted by a Lake County grand jury on charges of stealing $1.5 million from Kemper Insurance Cos., Long Grove, Illinois. Kemper has also filed a civil lawsuit to recover the funds. Johnson was an account manager for Kemper but was laid off in December.
Authorities allege that, from 1999 to 2004, Johnson forged documents, took out phony mortgages and transferred money to her bank account while working in Kemper's mortgage portfolio department. The mortgage accounts were set up for employees who moved to the area.
Rachel Dollar, the editor of Mortgage Fraud Blog is an attorney and Certified Mortgage Banker who handles litigation for lending institutions and secondary market investors.