A St. Louis man has been sentenced to five years in prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $1.2 million in home mortgages. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey handed down the sentence on Monday, also ordering Edward James Mitchell Jr., who is also known as Musa Muhammad, to repay $482,096 to lenders for their losses.
Mitchell, 37, participated in four fraudulent mortgage transactions between October 2021 and November 2023 through his company, Home Team Solutions LLC. The company purchased three homes in St. Louis and one in Florissant. Mitchell impersonated a relative to “buy” two of the properties by submitting false mortgage applications and using fraudulent employment and financial information along with his relative’s Social Security number and birthdate. He purchased another property himself and sold one to his paramour using similar fraudulent documentation.
The total value of the loans was $1,226,550. All lenders involved suffered losses as a result of the scheme; one property was sold at a discount, another through foreclosure, and a third via short sale.
“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 to one felony count of bank fraud at the U.S. District Court in St. Louis. In October 2023, he legally changed his name to Musa Muhammad.
The FBI and the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman prosecuted it.
