Silvestre Cortez, 45, Fontana, California, was sentenced to a felony charge connected to a fraudulent real estate deed. Cortez appeared in San Bernardino County Fontana Superior Court and was sentenced to sixteen (16) months in prison for forgery as part of a plea agreement. He will be placed on parole for approximately 3-4 years when released from custody. Additionally, Cortez was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $5,000 to the San Bernardino County Recorder's Office.
In 1997, Cortez borrowed $115,000 from the victim for the purchase of her Rialto, California property. In 2000, he allegedly forged the victim's signature on a Subordination Agreement document that placed the loan in a secondary position. Cortez had taken an additional $110,000 loan on the Rialto property. In late 2006, the elderly victim discovered the forgery when she was informed that her former property was in foreclosure. In July 2007, members of the San Bernardino District Attorney's Real Estate Fraud Unit investigated the case and charges were subsequently filed against Cortez.
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.