Warrington Bank Fraudster Given Five Years In Jail For Scam
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Dean Rossi, 55, of Warrington, PA, was sentenced to five years in prison, four years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $2.85 million in restitution and $1.38 million in forfeiture by United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky, for devising and participating in schemes to defraud three financial institutions out of millions of dollars.
Rossi was convicted at trial in March 2018 on seven charges: one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud affecting a financial institution and bank fraud; one count of mail fraud affecting a financial institution; three counts of bank fraud; and two counts of loan fraud.
From at least December 2006 until about March 2012, Rossi and his co-conspirators participated in schemes to defraud Nova Bank, First Cornerstone Bank, and Leesport Bank, which later became VIST Financial Bank, out of more than $4.15 million in connection with multiple real estate closings for small residential properties in working class neighborhoods in the Philadelphia area. In each scheme, the defendant conspired with others to obtain fraudulent mortgage loans and made misrepresentations regarding the disbursement of those funds and his income. The defendant also falsified numerous documents, including tax returns and HUD-1 settlement sheets. Although the banks were able to mitigate some of their fraud losses, the banks and their insurers still suffered losses exceeding $2.85 million. Rossi personally pocketed a total of $1.38 million.
“The scope and duration of Rossi’s fraud are simply stunning,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “He stole millions of dollars from bank lenders and preyed upon residential neighborhoods – and then attempted to cover his tracks with lies. That sort of white collar crime deserves significant prison time, which is what Rossi has earned.”
“Dean Rossi lied on mortgage applications starting in 2006, his lies and greed helped to contribute to the financial meltdown in 2008,” observed Damon Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the Postal Inspection Service. “Over ten years later, after being found guilty at trial, he has finally been sentenced to five years in jail. I want to thank the Postal Inspectors and the Assistant United States Attorneys who stayed with this case for nearly a decade. The Postal Inspection Service has long history of investigating frauds schemes, and we will continue to lead and support investigations into fraud schemes that use the mail.”