Annika Boas, 37, Mount Rainier, Maryland, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge George Jerrod Hazel to 27 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy, wire fraud and making a false statement on a loan application arising from a residential mortgage fraud scheme.
According to the evidence presented at her four day trial, from March 2007 to November 2008, Boas conspired with real estate agent Edgar Tibakweitira, Ayoub Luziga with whom Boas was in a relationship, and others to fraudulently obtain residential mortgage loans by making false statements during the loan application and approval process. The conspirators used stolen or false identity information, false documents – including W-2 forms, earnings and banks statements – and false credit information to induce lenders to provide mortgage loans to straw purchasers, such as Boas and others recruited by Luziga andTibakweitira. As part of the scheme, Tibakweitira inflated the sales price of the property by creating false documents for repairs and renovations that were never made. After the settlement, the conspirators divided up the cash received for the purported repairs.
Witnesses testified that the conspirators obtained the identity information of a least four individuals without their knowledge. Boas and other conspirators assumed the identities of these individuals and acted as straw buyers to obtain the loans used to purchase the properties. The evidence showed that Boasassumed the identity of one of the victims using a fraudulent North Carolina driver’s license with the victim’s name but Boas’ photo, to pose as the victim at the settlement for two properties.
As a result of the conspiracy, Boas caused $511,147.06 in losses to federally-insured financial institutions.
Co-conspirators Edgar Tibakweitira, a/k/a “Edgar Julian,” “Charles Edgar Tibakweitira,” and “Edgar Gaudious Tibakweitira,” 46, Severn, Maryland andAyoub Luziga, 35, Bowie, Maryland, have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme. Luziga was sentenced to 21 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $999,762. Tibakweitira awaits sentencing.
Five other conspirators have also pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme, including: Tibakweitira’s wife Flavia Makundi, 42, Severn; Mokorya Cosmas Wambura, 41, Takoma Park, Maryland; Raymond Abraham, 47, Silver Spring, Maryland; Cane Mwihava and Abdallah Suleiman Kitwara, 43, Bowie. Wambura was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $434,867.65. Abraham was sentenced to 33 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $999,762. Kitwara was sentenced to 15 months and ordered to pay restitution of $290,954. Makundi was sentenced to time served. Mwihava is scheduled to be sentenced on March 23, 2015.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Cary A. Rubenstein of the Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General – Office of Investigations; Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Rene Febles of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General; Special Agent in Charge Kathy Michalko of the United States Secret Service – Washington Field Office; John L. Phillips, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, U.S. Department of the Treasury – Office of Inspector General; and Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised HUD-OIG, FHFA-OIG, Treasury OIG, U.S. Secret Service and HSI Baltimore for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi N. O’Malley and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Di Gregory, Investigative Counsel for the Federal Housing Finance Agency Inspector General, who prosecuted the case.
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