Other LanguagesTACOMA – Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today that his office has filed first-degree theft charges against a mortgage loan officer accused of stealing a check intended to pay for brokerage fees.
The Attorney General’s Criminal Division Financial Crimes Unit charged Robert L. Flath, 41, of Gig Harbor, with one-count of first-degree theft. Flath entered a plea of not guilty during his arraignment today in Pierce County Superior Court.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. The charge was brought at the request of the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions.
The Attorney General’s Office alleges that Flath was a branch manager at American Residential Funding’s Tacoma office in 2003 when an escrow company mistakenly delivered a check for brokerage fees in the amount of $7,842.50. Flath received the check and deposited it into his account. The escrow company later discovered that the check should have been sent to another mortgage company and requested Flath return the funds, but he refused.
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Media Contacts:
Kristin Alexander, Public Information Officer, (206) 464-6432, kalexander@atg.wa.gov