White Collar Crime News

Two Denver Men Indicted for Mortgage Fraud March 18, 2010

Shawn R. Tieskotter, age 36, of Greenwood Village, Colorado, and Craig D. Patterson, age 30, of Littleton, Colorado, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on March 10, 2010, on charges of money laundering, wire and mail fraud. Patterson was arrested by federal agents without incident. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Denver on March 12, 2010, for an initial appearance where he was advised of the charges pending against him.

According to the indictment, between March 26, 2005, and continuing through June 30, 2005, in Colorado and elsewhere, Shawn Tieskotter and Craig Patterson knowingly executed and attempted to execute a scheme to defraud various financial institutions as well as commercial mortgage lenders. The scheme was executed in connection with residential mortgage loan applications relating to 13 properties in the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area. The neighborhoods included Aurora, Centennial, Littleton, Parker and Castle Rock.

As part of the scheme, Tieskotter and Patterson prepared, submitted and caused to prepare and submit applications for residential mortgage loans and related documents in Tieskotter’s name. The applications included a first mortgage and second mortgage for each of the 13 properties. Each of these applications contained materially false and fraudulent representations that Tieskotter intended to use the property as his primary residence and most of the applications contained materially false and fraudulent representations about the extent of Tieskotter’s liabilities related to the other residential mortgage loans.

It was further part of the scheme for Tieskotter and Patterson to hide from lenders the extent of Tieskotter’s liabilities for the other mortgages, before such liabilities would appear on Tieskotter’s credit reports. At the time of closing, Tieskotter and Patterson caused additional disbursements of monies to PK Design Group, LLC, an entity controlled by Patterson, or Dream Design, a trade name for an entity controlled by Tieskotter. Tieskotter and Patterson concealed from the lenders and other parties associated with the transactions their control of these entities.

Upon conviction of the alleged offenses, Tieskotter and Patterson shall forfeit to the United States all property constituting or derived from proceeds traceable to the commission of the offense, including but not limited to a sum of money equal to $219,566 for money laundering and $4,710,666.86 for wire and mail fraud charges.