A St. Louis man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $1.2 million in home mortgages, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey handed down the sentence on Monday, ordering Edward James Mitchell Jr., also known as Musa Muhammad, to pay $482,096 in restitution to lenders who suffered losses due to his actions.
Mitchell, 37, carried out four fraudulent mortgage transactions between October 2021 and November 2023 through his company, Home Team Solutions LLC. He acquired three homes in St. Louis and one in Florissant by submitting false information on mortgage applications. In two cases, he impersonated a relative using their Social Security number and birthdate; he also bought another property himself and sold one to his paramour with fraudulent documents.
The combined value of the loans was $1,226,550. Lenders incurred losses after the properties were sold at discounted prices or through foreclosure and short sales.
“The Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG) carefully investigates allegations of mortgage fraud involving the government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,” said Korey Brinkman, Special Agent in Charge of FHFA-OIG’s Central Region. “We are proud to work with our partners in this investigation.”
Mitchell pleaded guilty in April 2023 to one felony count of bank fraud in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
He legally changed his name to Musa Muhammad in October 2023.
The FBI and Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman.
