Kansas City couple faces wire fraud, money laundering charges

A Kansas City couple has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a $475,200 home loan application, said Bradley J. Schlozman, United States attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

An indictment handed down by a federal grand jury Wednesday alleges that Ida Mathis, 52, and Larry D. Wills, 50, defrauded New Century Mortgage by submitting false documents, Schlozman said.

Mathis allegedly submitted a fraudulent W-2 form, pay stubs and income tax return to back up her claim of a $116,000-a-year job with WB Enterprises -- of which Wills was the sole owner and employee.

According to the indictment, Mathis included in her loan application a letter from an accountant and a verification form signed by Mathis claiming she had been making substantial monthly payments on the home securing the loan.

The two-count indictment alleges that Mathis and Wills persuaded New City Mortgage to wire $478,383 to a Chicago Title Insurance Co. bank account in Kansas City on Aug. 14, 2001. A week later, Mathis and Wills allegedly had $352,000 of that sum transferred to a Countrywide Home Loans bank account in Los Angeles.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark.

All rights reserved. This content may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News. Use of this content without permission is a violation of federal copyright law.