Tax & Accounting News

Man Sentenced to Prison For Decade-Long Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Man Sentenced to Prison For Decade-Long Mortgage Fraud Scheme

A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for running a decade-long mortgage fraud scheme.

Over the course of ten years between 2006 and 2015, George Kritopoulos, a Salem real estate developer, engaged in fraud on at least 24 loan transactions totally $6.5 million. Lenders lost over $3.8 million as a direct result of his actions. 

Boston-based U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris sentenced the guilty party to four years in prison followed by two years of supervised release. She has reserved the right to order Kritopoulos to pay restitution at a later date. 

In an official release, the IRS shared that Kritopoulos was originally charged in September 2018 along with co-conspirators Joseph Bates III and David Plunkett.

In October of that year, Bates pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution, and two counts of bank fraud. He will be sentenced on December 1, 2022.

Plunkett pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of aiding in the submission of false tax returns in February 2019. He is currently slated to be sentenced on December 14, 2022. 

Kritopoulous and his fellow defendants primarily dealt with multi-family buildings comprised of two to four units. Kritopoulous himself worked to recruit borrowers to purchase condominium units, which were financed by fraudulently obtained loans. 

Per the IRS, the group defrauded "banks and other financial institutions by causing false information to be submitted to those institutions on behalf of borrowers." 

Among the false information were employment details indicating that people worked for fake companies that were actually shell corporations owned by Kritopoulous. 

The city where Kritopoulous operated, of course, is a popular tourist destination famous for the Salem Witch Trials that took place between February 1692 and May 1693. The fall season is particularly busy as Halloween enthusiasts visit the area. 

In addition to the original fraud scheme, Kritopoulus attempted to obstruct justice by encouraging Bates and Plunkett to "make false statements and create false documents." 

The case was investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies including the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

What do you think about the Kritopoulus case?

You Might Also Enjoy:

share this post
Search for matches...
Rebekah Barton

Rebekah Barton

Rebekah's search engine optimization career began completely by accident as a college student. Over the course of her career so far, she has "grown up" with the SEO industry, from writing content while juggling classes to managing her own teams of writers and overseeing SEO strategy in subsequent roles. She is excited to bring her passion for high-quality content to CountingWorks, Inc.

Recommended Professionals

In the face of economic uncertainty, TaxBuzz is the industry's most up-to-date tax information.

Join 60,000 who get our weekly newsletter. No spam.

Need help selecting a firm?

Use our specialized search engine and get matched to the best accounting and tax firm for your needs.

Related Posts

Latest Posts