Jill M. Evans, 46, and her company, Paramount Mortgage of Colorado Ltd., have been indicted and charged with defrauding more than a dozen individuals across the country out of thousands of dollars in fees for mortgages and loans she never delivered.

According to the 18-count indictment, filed in Denver, Colorado, District Court, Evans defrauded her victims out of approximately $500,000 by charging upfront fees in exchange for what her victims believed were commercial and residential loans. Evans is suspected of failing to refund the fees, wired to the bank account of Paramount Mortgage of Colorado Ltd. The transactions affected include properties in Crested Butte; Beverly Hills, Calif.; Calabasas, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; and New Carrollton, Md.

Evans could face up to 12 years in prison and up to a $750,000 fine if convicted of any of the eight class-three felony counts of theft included in the indictment. She also faces one count of theft as a class-four felony and nine counts of forgery, a class-five felony.

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced the Statewide Grand Jury's indictment.

The Office of the Attorney General worked in conjunction with the Greenwood Village Police Department to investigate the case and secure the indictment. The Office of the Attorney General will prosecute Evans in Arapahoe County District Court.

“Since becoming attorney general, my office has made investigating and prosecuting mortgage fraud cases one of our top priorities,” Suthers said. “Mortgage fraud harms everyone involved in real estate transactions — lenders, buyers and sellers — by disrupting the market. This indictment underlines my office’s continuing commitment to investigate and prosecute mortgage and lending fraud cases.”

“Since becoming attorney general, my office has made investigating and prosecuting mortgage fraud cases one of our top priorities,” Suthers said. “Mortgage fraud harms everyone involved in real estate transactions — lenders, buyers and sellers — by disrupting the market. This indictment underlines my office’s continuing commitment to investigate and prosecute mortgage and lending fraud cases.”