Reader questions, am I a Straw Buyer?

As we've mentioned in the past, the brilliant Google analytic software we use gives us the different terms that people search that lead them to our site.  Yesterday we picked up a new reader who arrived at our blog by searching for various terms relating to "Straw Buyer" frauds.  Let's see what was on their mind...

"i was unknowingly a straw buyer"

Really?  How could you have unknowingly been a Straw Buyer?  Unless your identity was stolen, there is virtually no way you could have been an "unknowing" Straw Buyer!  That's a good one though, I'm sure prosecutors like ASA Bill Kostrzewski would just gobble that one up.

"do straw buyers always get caught?"

NAH!  At least not the way things are handled down here in Miami-Dade county!  Down here police and prosecutors will end up letting you off the hook and helping you remove the fraudulent loan from your credit history.  While they're at it, they may even give you the key to the city and a big ole hug!

"how do straw buyers get caught?"

That's a good one.  We don't know about where you're from, but based on what we've seen by the police and state attorneys office handling of the Bernardo Barrera mortgage fraud case, we think the only way you would get caught is if you went down to the PD and confessed to your role in the fraud, a tattoo across your forehead saying "I'm a Straw Buyer who's guilty of mortgage fraud" probably wouldn't hurt matters.

"straw buyer made mortgage payments for two years"

Now that's certainly interesting isn't it?  From what we've learned there seems to be a threshold of one years worth of payments before you clear the cloud of fraud with banks and the police.  Good going.

"how does govt decide when to prosecute straw buyers?"

That's the best bit right there.  From our research the only ways "Straw Buyers" get prosecuted are the following:

• if you rip off someones identity (real or not) to commit the fraud, especially if the persons identity you stole is an elderly black lady, consider the sympathy factor for the media!
• You defraud a client of someone who is on the local Mortgage Fraud Task Force, they make sure the PD goes after your ass, ain't that right R.C.?
• Your "Straw Buyer" scheme involves a current or retired police officer, when they make a call to the PD, their complaints carry more weight.  Remember the attorney David Rodriguez case?
• Last but not least, if arresting you would be politically advantageous for the people involved, either to bolster their image and/or to help curry favor with the feds in order to ensure funding for their endeavors.

If you fit into any of these categories, you're in deep $hit.  If not, then rest easy, you're not much a prize for those in law enforcement, especially since you've made payments for two years!  We almost feel bad for people who end up here looking for advice after being involved in some sort of nefarious activities, at least now we feel like we've tried to help.  Just to be safe though, if you're worried enough to be searching through this blog for answers, get off your ass and see an attorney!