October 3, 2014
Defendant Charged with Stealing Down Payments from Prospective Homeowners
Las Vegas, NV – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez
Masto announced that Jose Christian Delgado, 39, of Las Vegas, was arrested
Wednesday in connection with his involvement in a mortgage lending fraud scheme
involving five known victims.
“Nevadans are beginning to recuperate from the housing crisis,” said Masto.
“Many would like to once again be homeowners and mortgage lending scams prey on
their emotions and dreams. My office is committed to investigating and
prosecuting these types of crimes. Additionally, it is important for
Nevadans to know they don’t have to pay for housing help. My office offers
housing assistance through our Home Again Nevada Program. Our housing
professionals are trained on all state and federal programs to assist Nevadans,
and it’s absolutely free.”
Delgado and codefendants Orlando Vera, 55, of Whittier, California, and Juan
Robes, 35, of Las Vegas, allegedly operated a mortgage lending scheme, under the
business name Real Estate Development, LLC (“RED”), which took place between
Nov. 2012 and Jan. 2014. They solicited victims with poor or no credit to
pay RED large sums of money, ranging from $35,000 to $50,000, to serve as down
payments for houses RED promised to sell to the victims. The indictment
alleges that RED’s victims did not receive the homes they thought they had
purchased.
On Sept. 26, 2014, Vera, Delgado and Robles were charged by a grand jury of:
- Theft in the amount of $3,500 or more;
- multiple transactions involving fraud and deceit in the course of
enterprise or occupation;
- mortgage lending fraud;
- pattern of mortgage lending fraud; and
- conspiracy to commit mortgage lending fraud.
Delgado was arraigned Oct. 2, 2014. He pleaded not guilty and his bail
was set at $130,000. He is presently incarcerated at the Clark County
Detention Center.
There may be more victims of RED’s fraudulent practices and they are
encouraged to file a complaint with the AG’s office.
The case is being investigated jointly by the Attorney General’s Mortgage
Fraud Unit, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of
Inspector General, and the United States Secret Service. This case is
being prosecuted by Chief Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey H. Segal and Senior
Deputy Attorney General Raya M. Swift of the Attorney General’s Mortgage Fraud
Unit.
To read the criminal indictment,
click here. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
File a Complaint
Victims of mortgage fraud are encouraged to file a complaint with our
office. Complaint forms are available on the Attorney General’s website,
ag.nv.gov/Complaints/File_Complaint/.
Home Again: Nevada Homeowner Relief Program
The AG’s office encourages Nevadans who are planning to buy their first
home, seeking credit restoration, and/or looking to modify their home loan to
contact the Home Again: Nevada
Homeowner Relief Program. Home Again Nevada, initiated by General
Masto, is a program that makes it easier for Nevadans to determine what state or
federal assistance may be available to them with a single “one-stop” free
resource. Homeowners in need of assistance should contact at
1-855-HLP-4-NEV (1-855-457-4638) or
homeagainnevada.gov.
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