Pleading guilty to one felony count of bank fraud, a St. Louis man admitted on April 8 to fraudulently obtaining home mortgages worth a combined total of more than $1.2 million.
Edward James Mitchell Jr., of St. Louis, Mo., admitted during proceedings in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis to participating in four fraudulent home mortgages from October 2021 through November 2023 totaling $1,225,550.
Three of the associated properties were located in St. Louis, with the fourth in Florissant, Mo. Mitchell’s company, Home Team Solutions LLC, originally purchased the homes. In October 2023, Mitchell legally changed his name to Musa Muhammad.
According to court records, Mitchell pretended to be one of his relatives to purchase two of the homes from his own company, submitting fraudulent mortgage loan applications and false employment and financial information and using his relative’s Social Security number and birthdate. He bought another home himself and sold another to a personal associate, again submitting false or fraudulent documentation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office believes lending institutions lost $490,946 when Fannie Mae purchased the four home loans.
Mitchell is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8. Each bank fraud charge carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine.