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2 metro-area real estate agents convicted in mortgage fraud conspiracy
Hill and Kelske worked with document fabricators to change bank statements and create fake records of assets for potential homebuyers, Erskine said. Other defendants in the case would then take calls and emails from lenders and verify the homebuyers’ employment information, even though they did not work with the homebuyers. Hill and Kelske also worked with two other real estate agents who pretended to represent the homebuyers, according to Erskine. Those two agents would collect the commission on the buyer’s side of the deal and send most of it back to Hill and Kelske. To avoid any suspicion, the buyers’ agents would often tell the closing attorneys that they could…
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Man convicted 3 times charged again
A Berks County man previously sentenced to probation for home improvement fraud in three counties faces new fraud counts after Mohnton police accused him of ripping off two borough homeowners to the tune of nearly 11,000. Joseph Duerr, 39, whose last known address was listed as the 2800 block of Sturbridge Court in Spring Township, was arrested Monday by members of the warrants division of the Berks County sheriff’s office. Arrest details were unavailable. Duerr was committed to the county prison in lieu of $100,000 bail after arraignment Monday night before District Judge Dean R. Patton in Reading Central Court. In both cases he’s charged with home improvement fraud, theft…