A California real estate broker who owns an escrow business was arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging they fraudulently sold a luxury home and obtained a nearly $1 million loan using stolen identities and false documents.
According to the charges in this case, Glenis Cardona, the broker and owner Golden Escrow, coordinated her scheme with Ivan Reyes and Arshak Akopyan, a.k.a. “John Akopyan.” In late 2023 and January 2024, the trio executed the fraudulent $1.5 million sale of a Burbank home, through which they secured approximately $975,000 in loan proceeds.
To complete this transaction, the trio used the stolen identities of the victim homeowner and a purported buyer. Through her company, Cardona obtained a report to evaluate whether the Burbank property was encumbered with liens, such as legal judgments. The fraudsters then prepared phony identity cards and documents while falsely notarizing the deeds. This paperwork was submitted to a lender who funded the loan.
Cardona purported to represent the victim seller and the victim buyer – even though neither authorized the transaction – and controlled escrow. Tikriti used the victims’ stolen identities to impersonate both the victim seller and the victim buyer. Reyes and Akopyan acted as mortgage brokers and submitted fraudulent loan applications to solicit lenders to fund the illicit transaction.
After the lenders deposited the funds in escrow, Cardona directed the funds to various third-party entities that enabled them to collect the funds later.
The owner of the Burbank house lost possession of the home while the victim buyer became obligated to pay back the $975,000 mortgage. Also impacted was the mortgage lending business that unwittingly approved the funded the loan and the title company that unwittingly insured the transaction.
If convicted, each defendant would face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
