Mortgage fraud spanned 5 years: Investigator

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - A criminal investigator detailed five years of alleged fraud that led to the arrest of a Dothan homebuilder and his office manager.

“We’ve got a lot of mortgage files that consist of fraudulent documents,” Cpl. Brandon Barnes said during a news conference on Tuesday.

Businessman Ryan Kriser and aide Shelley Lynn Brown face dozens of charges--- Kriser’s home mortgage fraud and Brown’s mortgage fraud and forgery.

Barnes said the forged documents were part of the closing process of home sales, including forged certificates of occupancy, termite bonds, and other required paperwork.

Most of the charges involve Kriser Homes South that closed during the year-long investigation, and Smart Homes of the Wiregrass that Kriser currently owns.

For now, no homeowner is believed to have lost money in the alleged scheme.

Brown, who faces the most charges, is also a listed co-owner of Rainier Homes LLC, per Better Business Bureau records.

Barnes claims Kriser’s and Brown’s illegal activity--none related to Rainier-- is more than isolated incidents.

“I looked through more than 6000 documents, and I can say there are probably victims outside (of) Houston County,” he told reporters.

Barnes has not spoken to federal authorities but doesn’t rule out the Department of Justice pursuing their own charges.

Kriser retained the Etheridge and Fowler law firm to handle his defense, while Brown will rely on attorney Matt Lamere.

Both suspects, free on bond, have preliminary hearings on April 7.

After five years of committing fraud according to investigators, a Dothan homebuilder and his office manager face prison, and things for them could get worse.

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