Bay Area duo charged with defrauding 80-year-old man out of $250,000 in mortgage fraud scheme
The prosecution alleges that one suspect posed as a contractor and stole the victim's identify to get a loan against his mortgage. The other suspect, a notary public, is accused of assisting the scheme.
Marin County authorities have charged two suspects with targeting an 80-year-old Greenbrae resident in a mortgage fraud scheme.
The Marin County District Attorney’s Office filed a 12-count complaint against defendants Ronnie Curtis Baker, 58, of Fairfield and Kimberley Marie Mallory, 52, of Napa.
“Elder fraud targets our most vulnerable community members, and unfortunately, these pervasive and predatory crimes happen far too often in Marin,” District Attorney Lori Frugoli said. “We are fortunate to have a dedicated real estate investigator to ensure those who commit these offenses are held accountable.”
The investigator, Mark Reischel, wrote in a probable cause statement that the offenses were committed in 2022 and last year. Baker falsely represented himself as a licensed contractor when he defrauded the victim, the filing alleges.
Baker stole the victim’s identification to obtain a fraudulent loan against his residence, which has $900,000 in equity, Reischel reported. The defendant then laundered the funds through business accounts and utilized them to purchase property and for his personal use, Reischel wrote.
The prosecution’s complaint accuses Baker of defrauding the victim of about $250,000 and laundering about $230,000.
Mallory, a notary public, is accused of aiding Baker in his offenses.
Baker was booked into the Marin County Jail and he placed on a no-bail hold on Friday. Mallory surrendered herself to authorities at the jail the same day.
Mallory, whose bail amount was set at $50,000, was released on bail a few hours after her booking, sheriff’s Sgt. Adam Schermerhorn said.
Baker is charged with theft from an elder, grand theft by false pretenses, diversion of construction funds, money laundering, contracting without a license, conspiracy, mortgage fraud and unauthorized use of personal identifying information.
Mallory is charged with conspiracy, elder theft, mortgage fraud, forgery, unauthorized use of personal identifying information and money laundering.
During Baker’s initial court hearing Monday, Judge Geoffrey Howard approved public defender Peter Arian’s request to have him released from jail. Arian argued that holding Baker without a bail amount was unconstitutional for the charges involved.
Prosecutor Roopa Krishna objected to Baker’s release, citing the victim’s age and the severity of the alleged theft. She also said Baker has a history of theft-related crimes.
The district attorney’s office reported that Baker has six convictions of fraud and forgery offenses in Napa and Solano counties.
Howard said there are alternatives to keeping the defendant in jail. He ordered Baker to not interact with the victim and to stay at least 100 yards away from him.
Mallory did not appear at the hearing. She declined to comment when she contacted on Monday.
The judge scheduled an arraignment for Aug. 9.
Arian and Krishna declined to comment on the case after the hearing on Monday.
If convicted, Baker faces up to 23 years in state prison. Mallory faces up to nine years.