Three accused of using stolen Social Security numbers to help get loans for illegal immigrants

A Johnson County grand jury this week indicted Doris Toledo, 67, and her daughters, Sonia Toledo, 38, and Sylvia Toledo, 42.

They are accused of using the Social Security numbers to obtain home loans for illegal immigrants.

Authorities said the scheme generated $128,000 in fraudulent loan-origination fees and $228,000 in real estate commissions for the women.

Each woman is charged with 11 counts of computer crimes, 11 counts of making a false writing and one count of theft by deception. If convicted, each could face up to 18 months in prison.

All three women pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Friday. Their attorneys said they plan to vigorously fight the allegations.

“Ms. Toledo has entered a plea of not guilty because she is not guilty,” said Gordon Atcheson, who represents Doris Toledo. “We look forward to a trial and would expect to be fully vindicated.”

During the hearings, the women’s bonds were reduced from $100,000 to $2,500. Their attorneys argued that the women had families and property and no criminal records.

Prosecutors did not object and said they did not consider the women a flight risk because their passports already had been confiscated.

All three women were born in Peru, according to court records. Sonia Toledo came to the United States nearly two decades ago to study business at the University of Kansas. She has sold real estate and served on the Kansas City Ethnic Enrichment Commission.

Attorneys said Doris Toledo is a resident alien who has been in the country nine years. Attorneys said Sylvia Toledo is a U.S. citizen and also has lived in El Paso, Texas.

Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline announced the charges at a press conference Friday afternoon. He said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Secret Service also had arrested or charged 30 illegal immigrants discovered during the course of the investigation. Some of them are cooperating with the investigation, he said.

“This is an excellent example of interagency and intergovernmental cooperation,” Kline said.

But some immigration experts said the case also shows how vulnerable the immigrant community can be to scams.

A former Kansas director of the League of United Latin American Citizens said that immigrants who are in the country illegally can sometimes be confused about how business is conducted here.

“It’s easy to take advantage of them and it’s sad to see that,” former director Michael Martinez said. It’s particularly disheartening to see people duped who are struggling to make a life for themselves, he said.

Officials said the scheme dated back to 2002 and included more than 100 properties in Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and in Kansas City, Mo. The charges announced Friday cover 11 transactions in 2003 and 2004 in Johnson County.

The activity was uncovered in April 2005 during a routine Federal Housing Administration audit indicating that stolen Social Security numbers had been used to process several loans out of the Building and Loan Mortgage Co. in Olathe, where Sonia Toledo worked as a loan officer.

Prosecutors said they had no evidence that anyone else at the company was involved.

Authorities said Doris and Sylvia Toledo are co-owners of the Grupo Toledo real estate company in Westwood.

Representatives of the two companies could not be reached for comment Friday.

The results of the audit were forwarded to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which launched a formal investigation.

Kline said charges were filed in Johnson County because similar charges under federal law would require the homeowners to be in default on the mortgages. He said some, but not all, of the homeowners involved in the charges announced Friday had defaulted.

No charges have been filed in connection with the Wyandotte County or Kansas City mortgages, officials said.

The Star’s Diane Carroll contributed to this report.

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/236920.html

Leawood women indicted in $7.7 million fraud case

Three Leawood women are charged with multiple felony counts in a case accusing them of using the Social Security numbers of dead people to help illegal immigrants get home loans.

Officials said the case involves about $7.7 million in fraudulent mortgages and more than $100,000 in illegally obtained real estate fees.

Johnson County grand jurors this week indicted Doris Toledo, 67, and her two daughters, Sonia Toledo, 38, and Sylvia Toledo, 42. Each woman is charged with 11 counts of computer crimes, 11 counts of making a false writing and one count of theft by deception.

The indictments also allege that the trio was involved in a conspiracy of repeatedly telling illegal immigrants they could use false documents to obtain Social Security numbers to obtain mortgage loans to buy homes.

Officials identified Sonia Toledo as a loan officer at an Olathe mortgage company. The other two women also worked in the real estate industry. They are in the Johnson County jail on $100,000 bond each. Officials are expected to release additional details this afternoon.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/236067.html