Northern California Foreclosure Sale Bid Rigging Suspects Continue Going Down As Two More Cop Guilty Pleas In Ongoing Probe

In Sacramento, California, The Daily Journal reports:

• Two real estate investors who do business in San Mateo County have pleaded guilty to mail fraud and rigging public foreclosure auctions outside the Redwood City courthouse by agreeing not to bid against each other, according to the Department of Justice.
  
  
• Lydia Fong and Matthew Worthing, both of San Francisco, were charged yesterday in the case, joining 20 other individuals throughout four Bay Area counties who have pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty in similar bid rigging and public auction fraud cases.

• According to federal prosecutors, Fong and Worthing conspired with others for varied stretches between October 2009 and January 2011. Worthing is also charged with participating in a similar San Francisco County conspiracy in September 2010.
  
  
• During the scheme, those involved agree not to bid against each other for foreclosed properties auctioned off outside the county courthouse. Instead, they kept the winning price low which, in turn, federal prosecutors say, damaged the real estate market and defrauded those expecting a level playing field.

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• When property is auctioned, the proceeds pay off the mortgage and debt with any remaining money going to the homeowner. Squelching competitive bids limits how much money is available for both.
  
  
• Fong and Worthing used the postal service to send title documents to others in the conspiracy, make and receive payoffs and divert money, leading to the mail fraud charges.

For more, see Real estate investors plead guilty of rigging auctions.

For the U.S. Attorney press release, see Two Northern California Real Estate Investors Agree to Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging at Public Foreclosure Auctions (Investigation Has Yielded 22 Plea Agreements to Date).