Anna and Mark Bonds were indicted on ten charges involving a mortgage scheme. Anna Bonds was indicted by a federal grand jury on nine felony counts of mortgage fraud and one felony count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Mark Bonds was indicted on four counts of mortgage fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

“Mortgage fraud causes a boost in the home foreclosure rate. This has a negative impact on our neighborhoods and our property values,” said United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway.

“The FBI recognizes that mortgage fraud activity results in a negative impact on individual victims, and the local economy as a whole, and we are committed to aggressively investigating this type of activity,” added FBI Special Agent in Charge Roland Corvington.

According to the indictment, Anna Bonds, a/k/a Anna Tillman, and her husband Mark devised a scheme to defraud mortgage lenders of funds by inducing them to fund mortgages based upon false and fraudulent information. Anna Bonds was a mortgage broker and was employed by A Mortgage Solutions and C.D. Adams. They both also bought and sold properties. Anna Bonds would obtain false financial and employment documents, which would inflate a borrower’s income and thus make them able to obtain a mortgage. Had the lenders been aware of the fraud, they would not have funded the loan. Anna Bonds was paid a commission only if she was able to obtain a mortgage for a client.

Anna Bonds also brokered loans for property that she and Mark Bonds were personally selling or buying. She would use false financial and employment information to obtain personal mortgages, as well as for mortgages of the purchasers of her real estate. She would conceal her role in these transactions by preparing the false loan applications but having another mortgage broker sign the applications, the indictment charges.

Finally, the indictment alleges that Mark and Anna Bonds built a new residence by obtaining a $364,507 loan using these same fraudulent pretenses.

Properties include:

601 Ballman, St. Louis, Missouri

7004 Claremore, St. Louis, Missouri

5196 Delcastle Drive, St. Louis, Missouri

7010 Edison, St. Louis, Missouri

2819 Sidney, St. Louis, Missouri

1281 Stephen Jones, St. Louis, Missouri

2658 Yaeger, St. Louis, Missouri

5452 Claxton, St. Louis, Missouri

209 Kirk, St. Louis, Missouri

3928 Philbrook, St. Louis, Missouri

If convicted, each mortgage fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of thirty years in prison and/or fines up to $1 million; the conspiracy charge carries a maximum of five years and/or fines up to $250,000.