Grimy Times Exclusive: A Takoma Park man has been sentenced to 5 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 for conspiring to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Wambura was also ordered to pay restitution of more than $400,000.
According to court documents, Wambura conspired with real estate agent Edgar Julian Tibakweitira and others to unlawfully use the identity of another individual to buy residential property. In one scheme, Wambura 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.
In the second scheme, co-conspirator Mrisho Mzese sold his residence in Silver Spring, Maryland to Wambura, and attempted to conceal the scheme by using the identity of Wambura’s friend and roommate as the purported buyer. Wambura made false statements about the buyer’s assets and income, and even created a joint credit union account held by Wambura and his friend without his friend’s knowledge.
As a result of the two conspiracies, Wambura caused between $400,000 and $1 million in losses to federally-insured financial institutions. Edgar Tibakweitira, a co-conspirator, has already pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, and has agreed to forfeit a Range Rover vehicle.
The investigation was a joint effort between the United States Attorney’s Office, the Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General, the United States Secret Service, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Wambura’s sentence is a reminder that those who commit mortgage fraud will be brought to justice. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the American people from financial crimes.
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