Pa. mortgage lender accused of forging documents, lying to HUD

A Bucks County, Pa., man is charged with lying to federal housing officials in a series of forged financial statements in order to serve as an approved mortgage lender for the Federal Housing Administration, according to authorities.

John Seckel was charged Wednesday in federal court in Philadelphia by the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with four counts of making false statements to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a news release.

Mortgage fraud

Seckel was the CEO of Seckel Capital, an FHA-approved mortgage lender in Newtown, Pa., the release said.

From 2012 through 2015, Seckel Capital was approved to originate mortgage loans insured by the FHA, according to the U.S. attorney's office, and Seckel kept his FHA-approved status by filing four financial statements that he had forged.

He also filed certifications falsely claiming he met a required net worth and other requirements to be approved as a lender, prosecutors said.

If convicted, Seckel faces up to eight years in prison.

Tribune Content Agency
Mortgage fraud Enforcement HUD FHA Pennsylvania
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