A Missouri man is set to appear in federal court here Monday on charges he and his accomplices scammed desperate homeowners with false promises to help them save their homes, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
A federal indictment alleges the defendants used the U.S. Postal Service and the Internet to target victims with financial problems.
Tyler Korn, 27, St. Ann, Missouri, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, and five counts of wire fraud. Co-defendants Amjad Daoud, 32, Lutz, Fla., and Ruby Price, 72, Bonner Springs, Kan., already have appeared in federal court in Kansas City, Kan., in the case.
The indictment alleges Korn and Daoud used the address of a UPS store in Overland Park, Kan., to form Reliant Home Financial Group, a company they operated out of the St. Louis metro area. Price operated The Arize Group from rented space in Overland Park. Together, they devised a scheme to defraud homeowners with false promises of protecting them from foreclosure.
The indictment alleges the defendants fraudulently promised the victims to:
— Lower their interest rates.
— Lower their monthly payments
— Help them obtain loan modifications.
When victims received foreclosure notices, the defendants allegedly advised them not to worry about it.
If convicted, Korn faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count. The Department of Housing and Urban Development investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.