J. Anthony Hansen, 42, loan officer, Tacoma, Washington, was convicted of stealing more than $44,000 from homeowners as part of a program to pay off their mortgages. Hansen received a sentence of 68 months incarceration, $70,600 in restitution and a $10,000 fine.
Hansen was convicted February 13, 2007, of 68 counts of theft and one count of money laundering. A jury returned a special verdict designating the case “a major economic offense,” and the judge found that an exceptional sentence was appropriate.
According to charging papers, Hansen was an independent contractor with Country Home Finance for 26 months. During this time, he charged 68 customers, on average, $600 for a Mortgage Payment Acceleration Program (MPAP). Hansen used advertising materials obtained from Equity Corp., of Florida, and claimed he would enroll customers in the MPAP. In fact, none of the customers were enrolled.
“Anthony Hansen will serve an exceptional sentence for defrauding homeowners in Washington state,” Attorney General Rob McKenna said.
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.