Dale Scott Wood, Wire Fraud, Florida 2018
Florida Property Manager Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for International Fraud Scheme
A former Fort Lauderdale resident was sentenced to over twelve years in prison and ordered to pay over $7 million in restitution for orchestrating an international property fraud scheme.
Dale Scott Wood, 46, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, pled guilty to a single count information that charged him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, on July 25, 2018 (Case No. 18-CR-60202)
According to court documents, investors in Germany formed a limited partnership to invest in the United States real estate mortgage market. The partnership made mortgage loans secured by commercial properties throughout the United States. After the United States real estate market crash beginning in 2007, the partnership had to foreclose on many of the mortgages it owned domestically.
The partnership needed someone to oversee the foreclosure process and manage, maintain, and market the properties when the partnership acquired title. The partnership retained Wood for that purpose. From November 2009 to November 2013, Wood retained Theodore Gunter Gies, a bookkeeper, to assist him.
Wood and Gies, without disclosure to or authorization from the partnership, sold the properties to third parties. Wood and Gies then submitted, via international e-mail, false financial and status reports indicating that the properties were still held by the partnership. The loss to the partnership by the actions of Wood and Gies was $7,130,410.
U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas sentenced Wood to 151 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Wood was also ordered to pay $7,130,410 in restitution.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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