(LAKE IN THE HILLS) A northwest suburban man has been charged with luring a couple he met at church into a mortgage refinancing scam.
Carlos Meza, 56, was charged with continuing a financial crimes enterprise, theft by unauthorized control over $10,000, and financial institution fraud, all felonies, according to the Illinois Attorney General’s office.
Between May 1, 2013, and March 31, 2014, Meza stole thousands of dollars from a married couple he met at church under the guise that he could help them refinance their mortgage, prosecutors said.
Meza led the couple to believe he had hired people to assist in the refinancing process, and directed the husband to make checks payable to those people in various amounts, prosecutors said. Meza forged signatures and deposited the checks into his personal bank account.
He also directed the couple to discontinue payments on their mortgage, and they have since lost their home, prosecutors said.
“Meza preyed on people who considered him a trusted friend and advisor,” Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a statement. “Instead of assisting them to save their home by refinancing their mortgage, he stole their money and the home was lost.”
Meza, of Lake in the Hills, was arraigned Wednesday morning before Judge Sharon Prather in McHenry County Circuit Court.