Brothers Sentenced in Million Dollar Mortgage Fraud Conspiracy

(Alexandria, VA)—Mohammed Rababeh, 29, of Vienna, Virginia, and Ahmed Rababeh, 31, of Haymarket, Virginia, were sentenced today for their roles in a conspiracy to commit bank fraud. U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton sentenced Mohammed Rababeh to 24 months in prison and Ahmed Rababeh to 18 months in prison. The two men had pleaded guilty on September 24, 2008, to conspiracy charges arising from a fraud scheme involving several real estate mortgage loans they and their co-conspirators obtained between April 2004 and September 2006. Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Field Office; and C. Andre Martin, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Washington Field Office, made the announcement.

According to court papers, the two men conspired with Randolph Baltimore, 50, of Leesburg, Virginia, to submit fraudulent loan applications overstating Baltimore’s income and omitting his liabilities, so that Baltimore could purchase properties the Rababehs wanted to sell. The Rababehs agreed to pay Baltimore $27,500 to serve as the buyer on four such properties. Mohammed and Ahmed Rababeh engaged in similar fraud schemes to obtain loans to buy properties in their own names, according to court papers. Mohammad Rababeh obtained more than $2 million in such loans, and the losses to the lenders could be as much as $1 million.

Baltimore pleaded guilty to the conspiracy on June 24, 2008, and was sentenced by Judge Hilton on September 26, 2008, to 12 months in prison.

The cases were investigated by Special Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James P. Gillis.

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