'Queen Of Mortgage Fraud' Faces Deportation

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 6:22 PM



Gihan "Gigi" Zalat

DELAWARE, Ohio β€” A Powell woman who was called the "queen" of mortgage fraud pleaded guilty on Tuesday and was sentenced to prison.

Gihan "Gigi" Zalat faces deportation upon completion of her sentence, according to the Delaware County prosecutor's office.

Zalat, 41, pleaded guilty to eight felony charges, including three counts engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and five counts of money laundering.

On Monday, alleged ring member Scott McCann, 46, of Upper Arlington, pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and money laundering.

He is scheduled for to be sentenced on April 13.

The scheme operated under the assistance of unethical appraisers and brokers, involved homes that were appraised at more than their factual value and then sold for the above market price to ring members, Prosecutor David Yost said.

According to Yost, the homes were financed through unsuspecting lending institutions that provided those involved with a significant amount of money.

Along with fraudulent appraisals, members also used falsified tax returns and loan documents to swindle the lending institutions out of millions of dollars, Yost said.

Six of the homes involved were in the Dublin and Powell areas. Many of the homes involved were never occupied after sale and went into foreclosure.

According to the prosecutor's office, also indicted for their connection were Hany Bekhit, Moemen Ibrahim, Dijana Ibrahim, Alaa M. Abouelenein, Hany Ibrahim and Mohamed Mohamed.

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