Two mortgage professionals also allegedly participated in the scheme
A real estate developer from Illinois and two others have been accused of running a multi-million-dollar mortgage fraud scheme that targeted financial institutions, the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois announced on Tuesday.
A federal grand jury charged Andrzej Lajewski, owner of Des Plaines-based Highland Consulting and Chicago-based Quality Management and Remodeling, and two mortgage professionals – loan originator Agnieszka Siekowski and loan processor Aldona Bobrowicz – with 11 counts of financial institution fraud.
According to the complaint, the trio fraudulently obtained at least $3 million in mortgage loans by “making and causing to be made materially false representations to financial institutions regarding the buyers’ qualifications for the loans.”
Lajewski allegedly recruited buyers to obtain mortgage loans to purchase numerous properties on the south side of Chicago from 2010 to 2016. In some instances, he fraudulently claimed to lenders that the buyers were employed by his companies “to help the buyers qualify for the loans,” according to the indictment.
As part of the scheme, Siekowski and Bobrowicz knowingly prepared and submitted certain fictitious documents that included false and fraudulent information about the buyers’ income, employment, assets, source of down payment, and intention to occupy the property purchased as a primary residence.
According to the Northern District of Illinois attorney’s office, each count of financial institution fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in federal prison if convicted.
