Other LanguagesTACOMA—The Attorney General’s Financial Crimes Unit Wednesday charged a Lakewood loan officer with stealing $900 in fees from his clients.
Terry W. Goble of Lakewood was charged with one count of second-degree theft and two counts of third-degree theft. The second-degree theft charge carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Each third-degree theft charge carries a maximum penalty of 1 year in prison and a $5,000 fine. The charges were brought at the request of the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions.
According to charging papers filed in Pierce County Superior Court, Goble, 52, was an employee of Premium Mortgage Corporation for six months. During this time, he charged three customers between $150 and $250 for a non-refundable loan processing fee.
Goble instructed his clients to leave the “Pay to the Order of” portion of the check blank so that he could insert the name of the loan processor, however the processed checks show Goble’s name inserted in the “Pay to the Order of” portion and his signature on the back of the checks. The investigation began after a customer complaint was made to Premium Mortgage regarding Goble’s activities.
The prosecution alleges that on four occasions Goble obtained money by deception from three of his clients. Goble has been scheduled for arraignment on Sept. 29, 2005.
This is the third case filed by the Attorney General’s Financial Crimes Unit as a result of the state’s mortgage lending prosecution fund. The first case resulted in the sentencing of a Grays Harbor County woman for embezzling more than $325,000 in funds from the trust account of Ocean Shores Escrow, Inc.
In the second case, filed in Clark County, a Tacoma man was charged with one count of first-degree theft and seven counts of second-degree theft for charging several customers for enrollment in a mortgage payment acceleration program (MPAP) then never enrolling them. He pled not guilty at arraignment on Sept. 13 and trial was set for Nov. 30, 2005.
The state’s mortgage lending fraud prosecution fund was created by the Legislature in 2003 to aid prosecutors in bringing mortgage lending fraud cases. Funding is generated through a $1 fee for each recording of a deed of trust.
-30-
For more information contact:
Janelle Guthrie, Media Relations Director : 360-586-0725 janelleg@atg.wa.gov
Interview Opportunities:
Rebecca J. Jacobsen, Assistant Attorney General Criminal Justice Division- Attorney General's Office: 206-389-2012