Maryland man sentenced in residential mortgage fraud scheme

BALTIMORE – A Maryland man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for his role in a residential mortgage fraud scheme. The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in cooperation with the Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General - Office of Investigations; the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General; the United States Secret Service – Washington Field Office and the U.S. Department of the Treasury - Office of Inspector General.

Abdallah Suleiman Kitwara, 44, of Bowie was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to commit wire fraud arising from a residential mortgage fraud scheme. Judge George J. Hazel also ordered Kitwara to pay restitution of $290,954 and a fine of $50,000.

According to the plea agreement, from March 2007 to November 2008, Kitwara conspired with real estate agent Edgar Tibakweitira and others to unlawfully use the identity of another individual to buy residential property.  For example, in May and June 2007, Kitwara used the stolen identity of another person, along with false income statements and credit information, to buy a residence in Washington, D.C. The conspirators inflated the sales price by creating false documents for repairs and renovations that were never made. After the settlement, the conspirators divided up the cash received for the purported repairs.

As a result of the conspiracy, Kitwara caused $290,954 in losses to the bank that was the lender for purchased property.

Edgar Tibakweitira, aka “Edgar Julian,” “Charles Edgar Tibakweitira,” and “Edgar Gaudious Tibakweitira,” 46, of Severn, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and to aggravated identity theft. Tibakweitira has agreed to forfeit a Range Rover vehicle and awaits sentencing.

Five other conspirators from Maryland have also pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme, including: Tibakweitira’s wife, Flavia Makundi, 42, of Severn; Raymond Abraham, 47, of Silver Spring,; Ayoub Luziga, 36, of Bowie; Cane Mwihava, 44, of Bowie; and Mokorya Cosmas Wambura, 41, of Takoma Park. Abraham was sentenced Oct. 27 to 33 months in prison, and Luziga was sentenced Nov. 24 to 21 months in prison. Abraham and Luziga were both ordered to pay restitution of $999,726.55. Wambura was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of more than $400,000. Mwihava is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 29.

A jury convicted Annika Boas, 37, of Mount Rainier, Maryland Sept. 19, for conspiracy, wire fraud and making a false statement on a loan application, arising from the scheme. Boas is scheduled to be sentenced January 7, 2015.