Mortgage broker wanted by feds for role in wide-ranging fraud

A mortgage broker is a fugitive from justice after being indicted on 25 counts including fraud, part of a six-person, wide-ranging financial scheme, federal prosecutors said.

Heather Ann Campos, 43, of Houston, also known as Jill Turner, faces charges including making false statements to a mortgage lending business and wire fraud, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said. Campos and five other Houston residents, including a Realtor, allegedly fraudulently obtained mortgages for themselves and clients in pursuit of a multimillion dollar real estate portfolio.

One other defendant, David Lewis Best Jr., 58, also remains a fugitive. Four other alleged co-conspirators: ShyAnne Edrington, 29; Leslie Edrington, 65; Moreno Munoz, 40; and Elvina Buckley, 67 were arrested earlier this month and have pleaded not guilty, according to federal court records. Their indictment remains sealed.

The six defendants recruited clients for credit repair under company names including KMD Credit, KMD Capital and Jeff Funding, prosecutors said, and claimed to clean their clients’ credit histories by filing false identity theft reports with the Federal Trade Commission. Campos, Buckey, a Realtor, and Munoz, a notary, allegedly used their expertise to then fraudulently obtain credit cards, disaster loans and mortgages for themselves and clients.

The alleged co-conspirators used false statements and false documents to obtain properties in their clients’ names in pursuit of building a real estate portfolio and subsequently draw in rental income, prosecutors said.

Each defendant faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a potential $1 million maximum fine, prosecutors said. Defendants are scheduled to return to court April 1.