Five Charged In White Plains In $33M Mortgage Fraud Conspiracy

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Five people, including one from White Plains and one from Yonkers, have been indicted in a $33 million mortgage fraud conspiracy in Westchester and Putnam counties, according to Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The five defendants -- Bruce Lewis, 54 and Jacqueline Graham, 47, who are both still at large, Anthony Vigna, 59, of Thornwood, Rocco Cermele, 54, of Yonkers, and Paula Guadagno, 58, of White Plains -- are accused of committing bank fraud, wire fraud, and mail fraud in connection with a debt-elimination scheme to defraud homeowners and banks, Bharara said.

“The defendants allegedly preyed on vulnerable homeowners struggling with their mortgage payments and, with their greed, victimized them further. When the defendants were done with the victims, after falsely promising to reduce or even eliminate their mortgage debt for fees, these homeowners were left much worse off, in even greater debt," he said. "With the charges today, and thanks to the investigative work of the FBI and HUD, the defendants now face federal fraud charges.”

According to the indictment, in 2011 and 2012, Lewis and Graham, along with an unindicted co-conspirator were partners in a business called the Pillow Foundation or the Terra Foundation. Terra marketed itself as a business that would investigate and eliminate mortgage debt in exchange for a fee. The business made it a point to solicit clients who were having difficulties making their mortgage payments.

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