Overview
- Federal authorities arrested broker Glenis Cardona, Ivan Reyes, and Arshak Akopyan on wire-fraud charges, while Basil Tikriti remains a fugitive.
- Investigators say the group used the identities of the real homeowner and a purported buyer to push a fraudulent sale through Cardona’s Golden Escrow.
- The complaint details forged IDs, a purchase agreement, a grant deed, a deed of trust, and loan applications, with deeds allegedly falsely notarized.
- The sale closed on Jan. 3, 2024, yielding about $975,000 in loan proceeds routed to third parties, including a $60,000 wire to Cardona that day.
- The case emerged from a related mortgage-fraud probe involving WhatsApp and Signal messages and a cooperating witness, with red flags from a title company and intermediaries helping unravel the scheme; defendants face up to 30 years if convicted.