Rogers Real Estate Agent Sentenced to 18 Months for False Documents

Conner Eldridge, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced Wednesday that Christian Sanchez, 47, a Rogers real estate agent with Lighthouse Real Estate Inc., was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a $2,500 fine for falsifying a client’s employment information in order to obtain approval for a loan. 

“As this case shows, we are dedicated to identifying and prosecuting fraudulent misrepresentations designed to induce others to advance funds,” Eldridge said in a press release.

According to court records, on or about Jan. 14, 2009, Sanchez submitted false and fraudulent pay stubs to Countrywide Bank. The false information stated that his client was employed by Progressive General Builders, a company owned by the defendant’s brother. 

When the bank called to verify the client’s employment, bank officials were told the client had been employed there since January 2008, when in fact the client had never worked there. Upon interviewing the client, it was learned that the client had provided Sanchez with his tax returns and Sanchez then took all of the client’s information to the bank. 

The client told investigators that he had never heard of Progressive General Builders and that he had never worked there.