Taylor Sentenced to 36 Months for Loan Modification Fraud

Fort Lauderdale’s Jeffrey Charles Leroy Taylor, 40, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison today for his role in a loan modification scheme that fleeced homeowners out of millions. The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra, also includes two years of supervised release and restitution of $350,470.

According to the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer, Taylor and nine other co-defendants operated boiler rooms that collected advance fees from homeowners in exchange for promised loan modifications, which were never provided. All ten defendants have pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud.

The scheme targeted homeowners across the nation facing foreclosure, with false promises of stopping the foreclosure process and reducing mortgage payments. The indictment states that Taylor served as a team manager, coordinating efforts of telemarketers who made thousands of calls to distressed homeowners. Taylor’s background includes playing football for the University of Miami and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jason Vitulano, the organizer of FHA All Day.com, Inc., Housing Assistance Law Center, Inc., and Safety Financial Corp., was the alleged mastermind behind the operation. The indictment claims that the defendants changed their company names and moved offices to evade law enforcement and consumer complaints. Over 2,000 homeowners were reportedly duped into paying upfront fees exceeding $7 million.

U.S. Attorney Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the United States Secret Service (USSS) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Jorgensen is handling the prosecution of the case.

For more information, visit the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida website at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls, or the District Court for the Southern District of Florida website at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

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