Brandon Dutch Mendenhall, Mail Fraud, Florida 2021
Tampa, Florida - Brandon Dutch Mendenhall (46, Brandon, FL) has been charged with one count of mail fraud in connection with the purchase of his $1.6 million house in Tampa, Florida.
According to the indictment, Mendenhall operated RAD Diversified REIT and other investment funds that solicited individuals to invest in real estate properties through these entities. Beginning in November 2021, Mendenhall applied for a home mortgage with Lender 1 for the purchase of his personal residence. During the mortgage application process, Mendenhall over-inflated his personal income and represented to the lender that the business operating accounts for some of his investment funds were his personal income because he was the owner of these businesses.
This information was material to the lender's decision regarding whether the lender would approve and fund the $1.2 million mortgage loan Mendenhall was seeking. As a result of the material misrepresentations made by Mendenhall, Mendenhall caused the mortgage closing documents to be sent by mail to a title company located in the Middle District of Florida.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation - Bureau of Financial Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Labor - Employee Benefits Security Administration. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn Hoenemeyer.
If you have invested money with RAD Diversified, please consider visiting forms.fbi.gov/RADDiversifiedVictim to complete a voluntary questionnaire hosted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Please direct questions regarding the questionnaire to RADDiversifiedVictim@fbi.gov.
Defendant: Brandon Dutch Mendenhall, 46, Brandon, FL
Criminal Charges: one count of mail fraud
City and State: Tampa, Florida
Date: November 2021
Sentence: If convicted, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison
Dollar Amounts: $1.6 million house, $1.2 million mortgage loan
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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