5 charged with mortgage fraud

SEATTLE, June 5 (UPI) -- Five people have been charged in Seattle with cheating banks and homeowners out of at least $18 million through fraudulent real estate sales and mortgages.

Humberto Reyes-Rodriguez, 42 of Federal Way, Wash., a real estate agent who also used the name Tony Reyes, was named in a federal indictment Wednesday, The Seattle Times reported. His alleged confederates were Alexis Ikilikyan, 29, of Auburn, Wash.; her former husband, William Poff, 37, of Michigan; Micki Thompson, 54, of Tacoma, an escrow agent; and Mario Marroquin, 38, of Kent, Wash.

Tom Backman, a fisheries biologist, told the Times he may lose his new house in Idaho because of the group. He said some of what Reyes told him when he was selling his house in Pacific, Wash., two years ago seemed suspicious, but he was under pressure to close the deal and lulled by the number of corporate names involved.

Backman said he included a loan of more than $50,000 to the buyer, money he now needs to repay money he borrowed for the down payment on his home in Idaho.

"I really feel kind of hopeless," he said. "I don't know what I'm going to do."