Marie Quintana charged in $1.1 million mortgage scam

By Palm Beach Business.com

WEST PALM BEACH — A North Miami woman has been charged with mortgage fraud involving the purchase of a Lake Worth home.

Marie Decosta Quintana, 40, of North Miami, is charged with two counts of making false statements on loan applications with Bank of America and National City Bank in 2007. 

According to the indictment, Quintana lied about her job, income, assets and intention to live in the house, situated at 10475 Trianon Place, in the Versailles Development of Lake Worth. The scam took the two banks for $1.1 million.

Prosecutors allege that Quintana was recruited as a straw buyer and was paid in exchange for use of her name, credit score and for signing the falsified documents.

Her arrest Tuesday was the result of an investigation led by the Palm Beach County Mortgage Fraud Task Force.

Quintana’s indictment and arrest was the second involving a Palm Beach County home within the past week. Authorities charged Ultha Danielle Accime, 39, of Boynton Beach with making false statement on loan applications. They allege that Accime was recruited to act as a straw buyer but did not say who was behind the scam.