2/25/14 - A convicted mortgage-fraud fugitive from Fenton assaulted a federal prosecutor Monday, just hours after getting nabbed in Saline. 46-year-old Ronnie Edward Duke was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Saline for failing to report to prison after pleading guilty to a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme Officials say Duke was in U.S. District Court in Detroit when he allegedly attacked a female assistant U.S. attorney. She received minor injuries and sought treatment at a nearby hospital. Duke was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on June 3rd, 2013, after being sentenced to 13 years in federal prison, but was released from custody on a $20,000 unsecured bond by U.S. District Judge Julian Abele Cook despite objections from federal prosecutors. Duke was charged in the scheme along with several others, including William Camsell Wells III of Oceola Township who was previously sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison. 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 âstrawâ buyers, who filed fraudulent loan applications. Duke would then arrange the loans, which ranged in size from approximately $350,000 to $600,000. The money was used to finance Hardcore Motorsports, a Hartland-based business that he owned. While no new charges have yet been filed against Duke, the incident is under investigation by the U.S. Marshals and FBI. (JK)
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