President of Real Estate Investment Company Indicted

NEWPORT NEWS, VA—Yvonne L. Robertson, 44, of Hampton, Virginia was charged in a superseding indictment, returned by a federal grand jury yesterday, on charges of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity, as well as making materially false statements to an agent of the United States. Robertson was first indicted on February 9, 2010, along with Maria Henderson, 41, of Virginia Beach, Virginia on charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as 11 separate mail and wire fraud counts. Joseph M. Garner, Jr., 49, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was charged separately by criminal information on February 8, 2010, with mail fraud.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement. Robertson faces a maximum penalty of 30 years on the conspiracy and mail and wire fraud counts, 10 years on the counts charging engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity and ten years on the false statement count.

According to the superseding indictment, from November 2006 through May 2009, Robertson operated a real estate investment and property management business known as Angel’s Touch Real Estate Investments, LLC located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In the course of business Angel’s Touch would identify investment properties in the Tidewater area for purchase. Robertson signed contracts for the purchases but often assigned the contracts to other individuals for purchase with promises that she would arrange for the down payment funds and closing costs, that she would then manage the properties by finding renters, collecting rental payments, and making mortgage payments, and that individuals would received cash back from loan proceeds of the property. Maria Henderson was a loan officer for a number of companies engaged in mortgage brokering services, including Yourturn Finances and Mortgage Star, Inc. Henderson was responsible for taking mortgage loan applications and seeking a mortgage lender for which she received commissions based on the loans she processed. Joseph M. Garner, Jr., 49, of Virginia Beach submitted false mortgage documents, through Maria Henderson, to purchase a property for Robertson indicating that he would be the primary occupant. Instead, following closing, the property was occupied by a renter. After a short period of time the property went into default and the renter was evicted.

Maria Henderson pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud on April 6, 2010, and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8, 2010. Joseph M. Garner, Jr. pled guilty to a criminal information alleging mail fraud on March 16, 2010 and will be sentenced on July 6, 2010.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Brian J. Samuels is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.