Man behind bogus mortgage debt reduction scheme found guilty

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Between 2012 and 2015, 48-year-old Anthony Williams of Nashville, Tenn. scammed over 100 homeowners in Hawaii.

Most of his 112 Hawaii victims were secondary-English speaking Filipino immigrants, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Hawaii said.

Williams set up two fake mortgage debt reduction companies and promised to reduce the amount his clients owed. But Williams was not licensed to provide such services.

Authorities said he branded himself as a “private attorney general” with official-looking law enforcement credentials to give him the appearance of credibility.

During the scheme, he filed bogus documents with the Hawaii Bureau of Conveyances. Those included new MEI mortgages and notes obligating homeowners to make monthly payments to his fake companies.

He gained $218,000 during the scheme, betraying the trust of the homeowners.

A federal jury found him guilty of 32 counts of wire and mail fraud on Tuesday. His trial before United States District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi lasted four weeks.

He’s set to be sentenced on June 24.