Two California Men Sentenced for Real Estate Fraud

Howard Edwards and John Foster, both formerly of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., were sentenced to 20 years, four months in prison and 10 years, four months in prison, respectively, for real estate fraud crimes. The two defendants befriended unsuspecting victims on an Internet chat line. Their personal information was used to obtain loans on luxury cars and real estate in Fontana, Calif. The victims were then liable for these loans. The loan proceeds were transferred to a phony escrow company. The defendants falsified several real estate deeds and forged the signatures and stamps of several notary publics. The defendants then sold a house in Gardena, Calif., without the owner's permission and knowledge for an additional $560,000. The victims, who had been living at the residence since 1971, first found out about it when a lending institution attempted to foreclose on the property. The defendants used the personal information of a man living in Massachusetts to obtain the loans. Edwards and Foster were extradited from Georgia and Illinois, respectively, in 2008. The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Real Estate Fraud Unit investigated, prosecuted and provided the information about this case.