Charlotte Man Pleads Guilty to Aiding and Abetting Mortgage Fraud

March 24, 2010 - COLUMBIA, SC—United States Attorney KEVIN F. MCDONALD stated today that BRAD L. GREENBERG, age 53, of Charlotte, pled guilty today to Misprision1 of a Felony, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 4. United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie accepted the plea and has scheduled sentencing for May 25th. Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that from 2004 through 2006, BRAD GREENBERG and his business partner, Christie McGougan, sold modular and existing homes, primarily in the Lugoff-Camden area, under the business name Magnolia Bay Homes. Magnolia Bay Homes marketed the properties to buyers, telling them that they did not have to make down payments to purchase the properties. However, banks required down payments from the buyers to approve mortgage financing and relied on closing statements prepared for each transaction to determine if the buyer was making a down payment. To deceive the banks to make the mortgage loans, McGougan used business funds to purchase cashier's checks in the names of the buyers, giving the appearance to the banks that the buyers were making the down payments. Greenberg knew that the closing statements indicated the buyers were making the down payments, but he allowed the process to continue, going so far as to order the down payment check on one occasion. The deceptive closing statements were relied upon by the bank in approving the mortgage loans.

Many of the houses in this case ended up in foreclosure, and most of the buyers ultimately declared bankruptcy. The Government and Greenberg dispute the amount of loss, which will be determined at sentencing. The Government estimates that the overall loss from all the transactions is approximately $975,000.

Mr. McDonald stated the maximum penalty Greenberg can receive is a fine of $250,000 and/or imprisonment for three years, plus a special assessment of $100.

The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Winston D. Holliday, Jr., of the Columbia office handled the case.