A federal jury has found a former judge guilty of mortgage fraud. The conviction comes less than a month after a loan originator agreed to testify against her.
Jessica Arong O’Brien was convicted on Thursday
of one count of mail fraud affecting a financial institution and one count of bank fraud.
She is accused of fraudulently obtaining $1.4 million in residential and commercial real estate loans for the purchase, maintenance and sale of two Chicago properties.
Obrien, 50, was a circuit judge in Cook County who was removed indefinitely from the bench after being indicted in April 2017.
Before being elected judge in 2012, however,
O’Brien was a special assistant attorney general for Illinois Department of Revenue. She also owned a real estate company, O’Brien Realty LLC.
The loans were originated from 2004 to 2007 while the defendant was a part-time loan officer for Amronbanc Mortgage Corp.
Also working for Amronbanc as an originator at the same time was Maria Bartko, who pled guilty last month to her role in the fraud and agreed to testify against O’Brien.
Sentencing for O’Brien, who faces up to 30 years for each count, is scheduled for July 6.
