Bethesda Man Sentenced In Connection With Mortgage Fraud Scheme

A Bethesda man was sentenced in federal court Thursday to 33 months in prison for two counts of mail fraud in connection with a mortage fraud scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland reported in a press release.

Douglas Skibicki, 42, was also ordered to pay $1.4 million, along with restitution to victims of the scheme, according to the release.

Skibicki, a mortgage originator for a company he ran in Laurel, admitted to defrauding lenders, family members and others through a series of real estate transactions between 2006 and 2009, the release read, citing his plea agreement.

One of those transactions included submitting a $350,000 loan application in 2006 to refinance a home on an Elkridge property that was actually a vacant lot, U.S. Attorneys said in the statement. According to the release, Skibicki’s appraiser submitted a fraudulent appraisal that included photographs of a home located elsewhere, falsely indicating the home was located on the lot.

Skibicki’s appraiser sought again to refinance the property in 2007, again claiming the empty lot contained a “3,297 square foot, five bedroom home …with a stone patio, an enclosed and covered porch, and a balcony.”

The appraiser who submitted the applications died before charges could be filed against him, according to the release.

The amount of restitution Skibicki owes to those he defrauded has yet to be determined.