Loan officer gets 77 months in Fairfax mortgage fraud conspiracy

A Fairfax County loan officer who helped defraud banks of more than $2.5 million in a mortgage fraud conspiracy, then tried to flee the country after her guilty plea, was sentenced Friday to 77 months in federal prison.

Lourdes Rojas Almanza, 28, of Falls Church was part of a ring of investors, real estate agents and loan officers who lined up more than 30 fraudulent house purchases in Northern Virginia for buyers who couldn't afford the houses. Banks and lenders suffered losses of more than $9 million, police and federal authorities said. Almanza was ordered to pay $9.7 million in restitution.

Almanza's brother, Ruben Rojas, identified as the main realtor in the conspiracy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced last month to five years in prison.

Almanza's sentencing was set for April, but was postponed after she used her sister's passport and attempted to fly to Bolivia, prosecutors said. She was captured during a layover in Miami.

Another defendant in the scheme, Liticia Linares, 33, of Falls Church was also sentenced Friday to 27 months in prison. Prosecutors said she collected commission checks as a real estate agent for the fraudulent transactions. She was ordered to pay $7.5 million in restitution.

-- Tom Jackman