Mokorya Cosmas Wambura, Mortgage Fraud, Maryland 2024

A Takoma Park man has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in two separate residential mortgage fraud schemes that caused over $400,000 in losses to federally-insured financial institutions.

Mokorya Cosmas Wambura, 41, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow on no date given to five years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Cary A. Rubenstein of the Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General - Office of Investigations; Acting Inspector General Michael P. Stephens of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General; Special Agent in Charge Kathy Michalko of the United States Secret Service – Washington Field Office; John L. Phillips, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, U.S. Department of the Treasury - Office of Inspector General; and Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Wambura used the identities of other individuals, false income and credit information to induce lenders to provide home mortgage loans. He was involved in two separate schemes, one from March 2007 to November 2008 and another from July 2007 to May 2009.

According to his plea agreement and court documents, Wambura conspired with real estate agent Edgar Tibakweitira and others to unlawfully use the identity of another individual to buy residential property. He used the stolen identity of another person, along with false income statements and credit information, to buy a residence in Hyattsville, Maryland in June 2008.

Wambura was also sentenced to pay restitution of over $400,000.

Other individuals involved in the schemes include Edgar Tibakweitira, who previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, and Mrisho Mavuruma Mzese, who was convicted at trial on May 1, 2014 on 11 counts including conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/takoma-park-man-sentenced-5-years-prison-two-residential-mortgage-fraud-schemes