Matthew C. Browndorf, Wire Fraud & Money Laundering, Maryland 2022

Baltimore, Maryland – Matthew C. Browndorf, a 51-year-old lawyer from Irvine, California, has been charged with four counts of wire fraud and four counts of money laundering in connection with a scheme to defraud his clients and employees of a foreclosure law firm.

According to federal authorities, Browndorf stole more than $3.9 million from the clients and employees of BP Fisher Law Group, LLP, a law firm located in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The law firm represented lenders and mortgage loan servicers in foreclosure and default proceedings in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

The indictment alleges that Browndorf, who was a partner at a California law firm and the Chief Executive Officer of Plutos Sama, LLC, a limited liability company organized in Delaware, transferred or directed the transfer of funds out of BP Fisher’s trust account and into other accounts that Browndorf controlled. The indictment further alleges that Browndorf used the stolen funds to pay for his personal expenses, the personal expenses of family members, or expenses incurred by Plutos Sama.

Browndorf is currently expected to have an initial appearance on September 2, 2022, in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. If convicted, Browndorf faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud and a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count of money laundering.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and FHFA OIG for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Phelps and Stephanie Williamson, who are prosecuting the federal case.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Phelps and Stephanie Williamson. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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