California loan officer pleads guilty in $10 million fraud

A California loan officer has pleaded guilty to his role in a massive mortgage scam that cost lenders millions

A California loan officer has pleaded guilty to concealing a $10 million mortgage fraud conspiracy.

Christian Parada-Renteria, 40, pleaded guilty this week to one count of concealing a widespread conspiracy to commit with fraud and one count of concealing a mail fraud transaction, according to a report by the Sacramento Bee. Parada-Renteria is a loan officer at Delta Homes and Lending, a real estate and mortgage firm with five offices in the Sacramento area.

Authorities say Delta Homes founder and president Moctezuma Tovar and others engaged in a massive mortgage fraud conspiracy between 2004 and 2007, according to the Bee. Parada-Renteria allegedly assisted the conspirators with loan applications that contained false information and attempted to ensure that lenders didn’t question the phony applications or supporting documentation.

The total sales price of the homes involved in the fraud was more than $10 million. Mortgage lenders and others saw losses of at least $4 million as a result of the scam, the Bee reported.

Parada-Renteria is scheduled for sentencing in June, along with Tovar and several other co-conspirators.