South Carolina Criminal Lawyer Blog

Ford Shelley Jr, a Myrtle Beach developer, has been charged with mail fraud related to a condo development in town. He was charged with setting up fraudulent mortgages for condos at Pineapple Bay. Shelley's criminal defense lawyer in Myrtle Beach says that he "was the victim of a mortgage broker who misled him about a loan program used to sell the condos." During the height of the real estate market, a mortgage broker contacted him about a loan program and assured him it was legitimate. Shelley agreed to a plea deal in federal court papers which were filed last week. A hearing has yet to be scheduled and Shelley could face up to 20 years in prison.

John Potterfield, the assistant U.S. attorney who is prosecuting the case, said he cannot comment until after a plea is officially entered during a court hearing. The mail fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine followed by up to three years of supervised release. No hearing date has been scheduled. Shelleyadmitted in court documents that he agreed to pay the buyers at Pineapple Bay “large sums of money” after the sales were finalized. The documents do not say how much money Shelley paid the buyers; however, he failed to disclose those payments on loan documents which is required by law. Federal prosecutors say Shelley also delivered loan packages to banks that contained false, misleading and fraudulent information, according to court documents.

Meanwhile, Shelley is about to settle a civil lawsuit filed against him by Howard K. Stern in 2008. Stern accuses Shelley and his family of taking the late Anna Nicole Smith's computer equipment, videos and other personal things from a home in the Bahamas. Shelley's father-in-law owned the home and he was in the process of evicting Smith when she died.
In the lawsuit, Stern said Shelley and the others profited from selling Smith’s videos and belongings to the media after her death. Smith asked the court for unspecified actual and punitive monetary damages. A document filed in federal court last week states that Stern, Shelley and the others expect to settle the case out of court next year. Stern has asked the court that terms of any settlement be sealed.

Mail fraud is a very serious offense. US Postal Inspectors will investigate any crime in which the U.S. Mail is used to further a scheme--whether it originated in the mail, by telephone, or on the Internet. The use of the U.S. Mail is what makes it mail fraud. If evidence of a postal violation exists, Postal Inspectors may seek prosecutive or administrative action against the violator.

If you or someone you know is being charged with fraud, call one of the criminal defense lawyers in Myrtle Beach. Our Myrtle Beach federal criminal lawyers would like to speak with you about your case.