"Members of the scheme were willing to launder money - and even to kill - in order to get their hands on the profits and cover their tracks."
Authorities said the individuals used false documents so that the "straw" buyers qualified for loans for distressed properties - including condominiums in Wildwood and Wildwood Crest - at inflated prices.
The buyers had good credit scores, but not the financial resources to buy the properties. When federal authorities served a subpoena on a mortgage brokerage firm involved, Kinard J. Henson, 40, of Ventress, Ala., allegedly attempted to have one of the witnesses killed, according to the indictment.
The witness was lured into a wooded area in Alabama and shot in the chest but survived.
Among those charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud are: Sean A. Souels, 42, of Philadelphia; Nancy E. Wolf-Fels, 55, of Toms River, N.J.; Deborah L. Hanson, 49, of Voorhees; Seth A. Fuscellaro, 39, of Wildwood Crest; and Henson, who is also charged with attempted murder.
Authorities alleged that Souels and Henson recruited buyers willing to submit false documents to qualify for loans. Mortgage brokers Wolf-Fels and Hanson were aware the documents were false, and Fuscellaro created bogus sales agreements that concealed the true values of properties, authorities alleged.
Contact Barbara Boyer at 856-779-3838 or bboyer@phillynews.com.
