Federal agent pleads guilty to mortgage fraud

A federal agent pleaded guilty Friday in connection to a mortgage fraud scheme

A federal agent pleaded guilty Friday in connection to a mortgage fraud scheme.

Jeffrey Morriss, 48, a Kansas City, Mo., Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, admitted to lying to an FBI agent about the scheme, according to a report in the Kansas City Star.

Prosecutors say that Morriss lied about his child support payments, debt and monthly income on loan applications. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Morriss submitted four fraudulent applications for loans on three houses between 2007 and 2012. Morriss obtained loans for $812,000, but didn’t make full payments on the loans, the Post-Dispatch reported. The homes were foreclosed upon.

When Morriss was questioned by an FBI agent about a 2011 application, he blamed a bank employee, claiming the employee mistyped the information, according to the Star.

If Morriss’ plea agreement is accepted, he would be sentenced to three years’ probation and made to pay $12,794 in restitution.