Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey today announced that seven more suspects have been arrested in the continuing state and federal investigation of mortgage fraud that involves hundreds of homes and million of dollars of federally-insured mortgages.
     According to arrest affidavits filed by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, each obtained a mortgage by filing false documents with lenders, including forged Social Security cards and fake resident alien documents known as "Green Cards."   Based on the fraudulent applications, federal home loan guarantees were issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Any default on those loans can become the financial responsibility of the taxpayers.
     "This isn't just a raid on the U.S. Treasury," said Storey.  "Real people have had their Social Security numbers stolen to make the false documents.  When that happens, their credit and even their status with the I.R.S. can really be damaged.  It can take years for innocent people to recover from this form of identity theft, which they often discover when they try to buy a house themselves."  
     The continuing investigation is a collaborative effort of the CBI, the District Attorney's Office, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and
federal agents from HUD, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Social Security Administration, the Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. State Department, all of whom participated in the arrests.  "We have been particularly impressed with the cooperation of the federal agents involved in this investigation," Storey said. "Without their significant contributions, these cases could not be filed." 
     Storey also praised the owner of the Re/Max 100 Realtors in Lakewood, Jim Weichselbaum, for reporting the suspicious conduct that led to the original investigation.  "He's obviously dedicated to ethics in the real estate business," Storey said. 
     The seven arrested will be advised of the charges on Tuesday, November, 21 at 10:00 in Courtroom 1B of the Jefferson County District Court.  They include: 

• Maria Isabel Baca, DOB 11/19/73, of Denver; 
• Juan Cervantes, DOB 08/12/66, of Aurora; 
• Jose Dolores Anaya Ruelas, DOB 04/05/74, of Lakewood; 
• Hector Jimenez-Villazana, DOB 04/10/84, of Aurora; 
• Roger Heriberto Lopez, DOB 12/14/80, of Lakewood; 
• Maria De Los Angeles Mendez, DOB 04/08/82, of Thornton; Jorge Villegas-Rodriguez, DOB 03/17/74, of Denver.