FBI Offers Reward for Mortgage Scammer From FentonFBI Offers Reward for Mortgage Scammer From Fenton

12/23/13 - Six months after a local man convicted in a mortgage fraud scheme failed to show up and begin serving his federal prison sentence, authorities hope the public can help. Ronnie Duke of Fenton was ordered to serve 13 years in prison and pay nearly $95 million in restitution along with a $1 million fine in April. Despite prosecutors asking that he be jailed immediately, a judge granted a $20,000 bond and gave Duke two months to wrap up his affairs and report to prison in West Virginia. When he failed to show up in early June, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. The FBI is now offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest. Duke was charged in the scheme along with several others, including William Camsell Wells III of Oceola Township. He is serving an 8 and a half year prison term. Duke was at the center of the scam in which fake loans were used to generate cash for travel, upscale homes, expensive boats and even a helicopter. Authorities say the fraud triggered losses of more than $100 (m) million and involved roughly 180 homes in the region between 2004 and 2007. Wells recruited so-called “straw” buyers, who filed fraudulent loan applications. Duke would then arrange the loans, which ranged in size from approximately $350,000 to $600,000. Anyone with information about Duke, who was also last seen driving a black early-1960s Chevy SS, is asked to call the FBI’s Detroit Office at 313-965-2323 or submit their tip online through the link below. (JK)