Man Poses as Fmr. Treasury Sec. To Fake Mortgage Payment…And it Works!
- Posted on August 17, 2011 at 11:22am by
Jessie Abrams
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It was a fraudulent scheme so obvious, it passed without question.
When 35-year-old Bryan Gardner sent CitiMortgage a money order request for $353,000 from the account of Secretary of the Treasury Hank M. Paulson, Jr. in 2009, the request went through. CitiMortgage credited the mortgage account in full, according to a Secret Service affidavit, giving Gardner the funds to make a final payment on his Bowie, Maryland home.
“I’ve never heard of a case where a mortgage for such a large amount was satisfied with a fraudulent instrument — an instrument that’s so on-its-face fraudulent,” said Paul Pelletier, who until a few months ago was a top-ranking official in the Justice Department’s Fraud Section. “You’d be amazed at how many people try and pass off (fraudulent) stuff. But does it ever work? No, it rarely works.”
And it almost didn’t work for Gardner either. He made a similar request in 2008, which was rejected. Just two months later, he made an almost identical request – the one that actually succeeded. The only difference between the two was that the second request asked for marginally more money, said the Secret Service.
CitiMortage had little to say about the case, according to a report from Business Insider.
“We notify law enforcement authorities about matters of suspected fraud,” spokesman Mark Rodgers told Business Insider reporters. “This case is currently under their purview, so we do not think it appropriate to provide details.”
Gardner has been charged with one count of mail fraud and a spokeswoman for Paulson told Business Insider the former treasury secretary was unaware of the case. Public records say Gardner filed for bankruptcy in February and has since had to give up his Ford Expedition and Waldorf home.
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Athena777
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 9:27amThis is just too funny. So, their not so smart after all huh? Laws of the Universe.
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 7:03amObama’s scheme is working, depressing the housing market so the poor can get into some sweet heart deals…bubble by butt. That old fart greenspam, the famous bubble buster, inserted his opinion and look how the market responded to him…free market is fake and being manipulated to redistribute wealth. Next time let the bloody thing play out in the courts, which is part of the market, instead of popping bubbles and bailing out failed business deals. And they knew when they bought those toxic assets that they were toxic. We have a system in place to take care of those sorts of things you bunch of bozo clowns.
Report Post »wipinitboss
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 6:55am“CitiMortgage a money order request for $353,000″
What is a money order request? That isn’t an instrument, it’s a made up form letter requesting a money order be made!
Report Post »Relic242
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 9:46pmCiti Bank is run and operated by a man from INDIA. How was he and his bank supposed to know it was a scam ???
Report Post »Slowman101
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:55pmWow! Competition for the government!
Report Post »thepatriotic1
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 2:33pmCan someone provide details as to how he did this? I have a mortgage that I would like to pay off. And doing it the old fashioned way (actually paying it off) is so yesterday. ;)
Report Post »chazman
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 3:51pmI’m gonna try this on Soros …
Report Post »HorseCrazy
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:53pmis anyone else bothered by the fact citimortgage is suing someone for fraud? as the owner of a real estate and escrow firm I can tell you their are not many worse companies to deal with that commit more fraud themselves besides citi maybe countrywide and world savings bank. the guys an idiot but the 353k is nothing compared to the billions in damages to us done by these losers.
Report Post »RA0725
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:21pmI had a VA loan in the 80′s that was sold to GMAC Mortgage. Overnight my payments increased by almost 50%. Never, over 2 1/2 years was I able to speak with anyone at GMAC. I once stayed on hold for 7 + hours just to see if it was even possible to reach anyone. My letters went unanswered. It was years later that GMAC lost two class action suits for charging and witholding excess escrow monies.
Report Post »eternalwolf777
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:46pmQuick! Somebody make this thief a senator. He’s a natural.
Report Post »AlmostaCowboy
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 4:58pmThat’s funny!
Report Post »ddg7
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:33pmI bet that guy down in Nigeria is going to revamp his scam!
Report Post »flfshrmn
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:19pmThe government hates competition!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:32pmIndeed…hopefully when the term of Mr Obama is done this fraudster will be able to give lessons to the ‘great ones’ of Reid, Obama, Pelosi and the others of the administration as they join him in the life behind the crossbar hotel.
Report Post »The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:40pm@Snowleopard
I would love to see a reporter ask O-Fraud-Ma “Do you have any advice for the Republican who’ll occupy your office in 2013?”
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:11pm.
Report Post »I see nothing wrong with this. If they were dumb enough to give the guy the money, shame on them…
Gonzo
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:07pmI wonder if Fannie or Freddie would have EVER figured out they got punked?
Report Post »becker88
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:18pmYou think that the government loan people could have been fooled? I think so.
http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos
Report Post »michael48
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:59pmfed/fannie…unless it’s a Trillion or Two…no luck…not enough to pay the UNDER THE TABLE FEES…ie: Comrade DEM-COM/RINO-TARDS…it’s the “FAIR SHARE THANG” ya know…..
Report Post »ChiefGeorge
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 11:59amSo now the government will sell off the home and get maybe 150k for it…what a deal!
Report Post »RodT82721
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 11:50amSee how easy it is to spend tax payer money? No one, at least in this administration, has responsibility for their spending. No one cares how much of your money is wasted. Everyone in government is so busy stealing their own share, they have no one in charge or responsible for anything. They just promoted the Fast & Furious supervisors, that admitted they had made a lot of mistakes.
Report Post »love the kids
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 11:48amIsn’t the bank a co-conspiriter for the fraud? It couldn’t have been pulled off without their help. People’s identity gets stolen all the time, and when a report is filed, the police take the report and say right to you that nothing will be done. Do you think that they actually looked at this because it was someones buddy.
Report Post »UlyssesP
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 11:41amHere’s a hedline for you…
Report Post »Man Poses as President To Destroy America…
South Philly Boy
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 11:49amThe TRUTH and NOTHING but the TRUTH
Report Post »The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 11:51amHave we confirmed he’s a man?
Report Post »vtxphantom
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:41pmAre you sure he is a man? I saw a picture of him riding a girls bike, with a prissy little helmet on. I for one question his manhood.
Report Post »smithclar3nc3
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 11:32amSo they in tend on prosecuting a man who took 353,000 from the government but they are not prosecuting companies that took billions of dollars from the government with the promise of creating 1000″s of jobs only to shut their doors down and or move to china. They prosecuting a citizen for a theft of a 1/3 of a mill. but not even looking at a man who used 1.2 million to buy a campaign bus built in …..Canada?
Report Post »agameofthrones
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 11:51amTHREE buses. All made in Canada! All paid for by us. All for his campaign. All illegal!
Report Post »J.C. McGlynn
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 11:29amTurn it back on them. Sue the mortgage company for not checking it out to see if the request was legitimate. This is one of the reasons the housing bubble burst.
Report Post »kindling
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 11:36amNo honor among thieves. I wish all tax payers could do this to the banks, insurance companies, governments at all levels, and unions that have ripped them off. Our only consolation is that in the end…….when we stand before our maker……we will see justice.
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