Edward James Mitchell Jr., a St. Louis man, has been sentenced to a five-year prison term after engaging in a mortgage fraud scheme that netted more than $1.2 million. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey handed down the sentence on Monday, along with a restitution order for Mitchell to repay $482,096 to the lenders impacted by his fraudulent activities.
Mitchell, 37, was involved in obtaining four fraudulent home mortgages from October 2021 through November 2023. Operating his company, Home Team Solutions LLC, he purchased properties in St. Louis and Florissant. He then proceeded to misrepresent his identity, on at least two occasions, posing as a relative to "buy" the homes. This scheme involved submitting false loan applications and misstated employment and financial details by using his relative's personal identification. The court documents clearly detail how Mitchell went to lengths to falsify documents to facilitate the fraud. He even sold a house to his paramour using similar deceitful measures.
The total value of the loans Mitchell had secured illicitly amounted to $1.226,550, leaving all the lenders with losses. One property was later sold at a discount, another in a foreclosure sale, and a third in a short sale. Mitchell had already pleaded guilty in April to one felony count of bank fraud before the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, an announcement that was made by the Justice Department earlier.
Further details of the fraud case reveal that in October 2023, amidst legal proceedings, Mitchell opted to legally change his name to Musa Muhammad. The case was brought to light thanks to investigations by the FBI and the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman led the prosecution, ultimately resulting in the conviction of Mitchell.
