Christopher B. Maselli, 38, North Providence, Rhode Island, a real estate attorney, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in U.S. District Court. Christopher Maselli entered a not guilty plea before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David L. Martin.

A seven count indictment alleges Maselli falsified bank and federal tax documents, and lied about his income and assets, in obtaining more than 1.5 million dollars in mortgages.

According to the indictment, and as previously reported on Mortgage Fraud Blog, between December 2007 and March 2009, Maselli, a self-employed attorney, inflated his annual income dating back to 2005; lied about personal assets; and submitted phony and altered bank statements and IRS tax returns when applying for mortgages, a home improvement loan and an auto loan. Maselli was approved for five mortgages on residential properties in Johnston and North Providence, Rhode Island and an auto loan, totaling approximately $1,525,027.50.

Magistrate Judge Martin released Maselli on $10,000 unsecured bond, and limited the defendant's travel outside of Rhode Island to Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General; and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan.

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.