Brothers Facing Federal Charges for Alleged Bank Fraud in the Purchase and Sale of Two Baltimore Properties
Defendants Allegedly Falsified Bank Statements, Misrepresented Ownership Intentions, and Allegedly Made False Statements on a Loan Application
Baltimore, Maryland – RealEstateRama – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Philip Abramowitz, age 50, of Pikesville, Maryland, with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud and Calvin Abramowitz, age 48, of Lakewood, New Jersey, with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and for making false statements on a loan application.
The defendants will have initial appearances on March 24, 2022, beginning at 1:30 p.m., in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Coulson.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General.
According to the four-count indictment, from May 2016 to April 2017, Philip and Calvin Abramowitz conspired to defraud two financial institutions to obtain money and property under fraudulent pretenses. Allegedly, Philip, Calvin Abramowitz, as well as others submitted mortgage applications totaling $535,448 to fund the purchase of two Baltimore Properties. Allegedly, the loan applications contained false information that misrepresented the financing of the purchases and the ownership interests and intentions of the involved parties.
As alleged in the indictment, Philip Abramowitz instructed family members to apply for and receive Federal Housing Administration loans in their names in order to finance the purchase of two of his Baltimore properties. Further, the indictment alleges that Philip and Calvin Abramowitz concealed Philip Abramowitz’s involvement in the real estate transactions and submitted false bank records and company filings during the loan application process to conceal the buyers’ and sellers’ familial relation.
Further, the indictment alleges that Philip Abramowitz falsified LLC records to create the illusion that his property manager was the sole owner of the selling entity in both property transactions and instructed his property manager to sign all closing documents as the “seller” to finalize the sales and the disbursement of loan proceeds. In addition, the indictment alleges that Philip Abramowitz provided funds to Calvin Abramowitz to cover Calvin Abramowitz’s and another family members closing costs for both properties.
If convicted, Philip Abramowitz faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for bank fraud and 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. If convicted, Calvin Abramowitz faces a maximum sentence of 30 years for bank fraud, a maximum of 30 years for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and 30 in federal prison for making false statements on a loan application. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HUD-OIG for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Martin Clarke, who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach
