Mark Demetri Stein, Mail Fraud, Texas 2018

Carrollton Man Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud in Texas

A 38-year-old man from Carrollton, Texas, has pleaded guilty to mail fraud as part of a foreclosure rescue scheme that targeted vulnerable homeowners, according to a federal indictment unsealed today.

Mark Demetri Stein, 38, of Carrollton, Texas, appeared in federal court this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford and pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas.

Stein faces a maximum statutory penalty of twenty years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Restitution could also be ordered. Stein will remain on bond pending sentencing which will be set at a later date.

A federal grand jury in Dallas returned an indictment in December 2016 charging Stein and three others with felony offenses stemming from a “foreclosure rescue scheme” they ran from approximately February 2012 through January 2013. Bruce Kevin Hawkins, 52, of Desoto, Texas, Richard Bruce Stevens, 51, of San Antonio, Texas, and Christina Renee Caveny, 37, of Dallas, have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme. Hawkins and Caveny have been sentenced to 41 months and 15 months in federal prison, respectively. Stevens is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey on May 7, 2018.

According to documents filed in the case, Stein operated Real Estate Solutions, Stevens used Texas Real Estate Services, and Hawkins formed ERealty Mortgage Group, LLC, as foreclosure rescue companies. The conspirators used third parties to contact homeowners and offer them an opportunity to get out of their present home loans and receive a new home loan with a reduced interest payment and reduced monthly payment.

Stein and his co-conspirators targeted at least 70 distressed and vulnerable homeowners who were facing the imminent threat of foreclosure on their homes and fraudulently collected a total of at least $242,000 from them.

This case is one of many felony indictments of bankruptcy-related crimes prosecuted as part of the Bankruptcy Fraud Initiative, United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas.

Defendant: Mark Demetri Stein

Criminal Charges: Mail Fraud

City and State: Carrollton, Texas

Exact Date: February 2012 through January 2013, and December 2016

Sentence or Outcome: 20 years in federal prison, $250,000 fine, restitution possible

Dollar Amounts: $242,000

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/carrolton-man-pleads-guilty-his-role-foreclosure-rescue-scheme-exploited-vulnerable