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Homebuyers Used As Pawns In Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Posted: 4:54 pm EDT March 28, 2007

Unsuspecting homebuyers in Orange County were used as pawns in a mortgage fraud scheme. Wednesday, sheriff's investigators arrested a family of four for allegedly taking personal information from the victims and using it to buy nice homes to live in.

Sitting in the back of an Orange County Sheriff's Office patrol car was a far cry from the life of luxury investigators said the family of four was trying to live by ripping other people off. Detective Reginald Roberts said the ringleader was Victor Ortiz-Rivera.

"He and his family actually perpetrated a mortgage scheme identity theft," Roberts said.

Rivera, his wife and his daughters are accused of helping families obtain home loans and then they would use the victim's personal information to immediately get a second loan and buy a second home without the victim's knowledge. Someone in the family would move in.

"Somewhere between $250,000, $350,000. I think one was $430,000," Roberts said.

Detectives said one daughter, Nixalis Gotary, was the mortgage broker. The other daughter, Nydia Ortiz, notarized the documents. Rivera's wife, Minerva Rolon-Garcia, once signed the paperwork posing as the homebuyer.

Now, all four of the family members are headed to jail, while investigators try to figure out just how many victims are out there.

"It's an ongoing investigation, still, because victims are still coming forward. I even had a victim come forward this week," Roberts said.

Investigators said they have at least six victims, but they expect more as the investigation continues.

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