Da Judge

A Newport Beach jewelry store owner, who withdrew her guilty plea in a family mortgage scam case just before sentencing only to be found guilty in Santa Ana federal court anyway, has learned her fate. U.S. District Court Judge Cormac Carney sentenced 52-year-old Safieh Fard to 63 months in prison.

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Four men were convicted Wednesday for their roles in a real estate scam that stung hundreds of victims through the fraudulent collection of more than $130,000 in upfront fees for loan-modification services via fake letters with the CitiFinancial or CitiMortgage logos. Jacob John Cunningham, 26, of Irvine, Justin Dennis Koelle, 23, of Costa Mesa, Andrew Michael Phalen, 26, of Mission Viejo, Dominic Adam Nolan, 32, and John D. Silva, 28, both of Irvine, created several phony loan-modification businesses between January 2009 and March 2012.

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There William David Robin was, being tried in Orange County Superior Court this week for allegedly masterminding an $8 million real estate fraud scheme that caused 16 victims to lose their homes, when the judged threw out the grand theft and conspiracy charges against the 56-year-old Coto de Caza man.

But prosecutors immediately filed 16 new charges against the owner of Pacific Vantage of Rancho Santa Margarita.

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A couple months ago, this Navel Gazer allowed Karen Elaine Hanover, a Seal Beach real estate agent accused in federal court of running an investment fraud scam, to vent about what she claimed was misconduct by her prosecutor. She further alleged her victims had previously done to her what she was found guilty of doing to them.

That post was after several I reported on Hanover's alleged misdeeds. And one victim later let me know in a private email how chagrined she was at me for giving Hanover a forum.

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An Irvine man who recruited five straw buyers to buy eight residential properties in San Clemente and the Sacramento-area cities of Rocklin and Roseville has been charged with federal mail fraud, according to the FBI. Alexander A. Romaniolis, 48, was arrested Tuesday in Huntington Beach for mortgage fraud after a federal grand jury handed down a three-count indictment on March 21, says U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner.

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Bob Costas

NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, who courted controversy in December when he dared raise the issue of gun control during a halftime show a day after a NFL player's murder-suicide, has reportedly put down $4.7 million for a Crystal Cove beachfront home.

In November, former Angels pitcher John Lackey, who sat out the 2012 season with the Boston Red Sox while recovering from Tommy John surgery, listed a mansion for sale in the same guard-gated neighborhood for $10 million.

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The National Association of Realtors president, who resides in Mission Viejo, is denying allegations he and his two sons fraudulently pulled nearly $580,000 out of their South County real estate company before seeking bankruptcy protection.

"Exhibit A," as far as Gary Thomas is concerned, would be his having lost his Coto de Caza home in a short sale before moving into an apartment, while "Exhibit B" would be he and his boys being flat broke.

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The feds have arrested five people, including four from Orange County, for allegedly pulling a "builder bailout" real estate scam that fraudulently purchased more than 100 condos around the country with mortgages that mostly went into default. The scheme, which was operated out of Excel Investments and related companies that were based in Irvine and then Santa Ana, resulted i n foreclosures and millions of dollars in losses, according to the U.S. Attorney.

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Remember Karen Elaine Hanover, the Seal Beach real estate saleslady who was looking at 40 years in prison but was sentenced to six months in jail for using "spoofing" technology to impersonate an FBI agent who threatened customers who'd complained about her shady deals?

A federal grand jury in Santa Ana Thursday indicted the 46-year-old on mail fraud charges tied to an alleged commercial real estate investment scheme that conned 50 marks out of nearly $2 million.

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Mike DeWine

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is going after a Costa Mesa loan modification firm accused of charging "significant fees" and then doing little or nothing for customers.

The company, Making Home Affordable, has been the subject of 20 complaints filed with DeWine's office.

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