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Man charged with defrauding Marin real estate agent

Fri, 03 May 2013 07:47:47 +0000

A San Francisco man was arrested last week after allegedly duping a Marin County real estate agent and his girlfriend out of $1.6 million by claiming to be the son of the president of the Congo.

Blessed Marvelous Herve, 41, was charged with wire fraud in a federal criminal complaint April 24 and arrested in San Francisco according to U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag.

Herve faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years if convicted. He made his first appearance in Federal Court in San Francisco on April 25 and remained in custody.

According to court documents filed by the FBI, Herve used a variation of the scam referred to as a “Nigerian Prince” or “Nigerian Letter” scheme, where by an individual claims ties to a wealthy foreign dignitary with fabulous wealth and seeks advance fees for administrative and other costs, promising full repayment of the fees plus bonuses to the victim.

Herve made his first contact with the Marin County real estate agent, when he responded to an advertisement the agent had run for a luxury home in Tiburon late in 2005, FBI Agent Brian Weber said in an affidavit.

Herve claimed to be the son of president of the Congo and was seeking a real estate agent to help him purchase millions of dollars in property in the Bay Area. He told the real estate agent identified only by his initials as “BE” in court documents he wanted to use the agent for these purchases, Weber said.

Herve then told the real estate agent the U. S. government had seized more than $43 million of his assets, and he need the real estate agent’s financial assistance. Over the next three years he told the agent and his girlfriend that he was in federal custody because of the alleged court case and could only communicated by phone.

The real estate agent transferred $635,000 to Herve, who promised to pay back the money as well as bonuses when he was released from custody and the fortune in allegedly seized money would be returned to him, according to court files.

By November 2009, the real estate agent was out of money and unable to meet Herve’s financial demands to support his quest and the agent’s girlfriend began to make payments.

The girlfriend referred to only by her initials of “KW” in court documents began making payments to Herve in 2009. She paid $970,000 through more than 200 wire transfers to Herve between November 2009 and October 2012, according to court documents.

Herve claimed he needed money to pay for expenses incurred during his supposed incarceration. Under Herve’s direction the girlfriend paid $10,000 for medical care while in prison, and $50,000 for court costs and prison transportation.

The real estate agent said Herve seemed credible because he had court documents that appeared to be a criminal complaint on official U.S. Department of Justice letterhead that contained the words “United States of America v. Blessed M. Herve” and the agent believe the documents to be authentic and a part of the claimed court case, according to court documents.

Herve also shared a certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from a member of Congress, an asylum approval letter from the Department of Justice and a birth certificate for his daughter.

The documents and Herve’s knowledge of the Bay Area real estate market made the real estate agent feel comfortable and painted Herve as an upstanding and trustworthy individual, Weber said.

Weber’s investigation of the case showed Herve is not the son of Joseph Kabila, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo since January 2001 who is also 41, had “no intent or means” to repay his victims, had no court case concerning the alleged seizure of $43 million and was not in federal prison from 2009 to 2012.

Herve was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was granted asylum in the United States in 1999 and became a U.S. citizen in March 2013, according to the affidavit.

He told the real estate agent that he lived in the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. But the agent never saw his room and the hotel has no record of Herve ever living at the hotel, Weber said.

Contact Soren Hemmila at shemmila@marinscope.com.

Article source: http://www.marinscope.com/mill_valley_herald/news/article_8600ce76-b365-11e2-a783-001a4bcf887a.html

San Francisco: Man who claimed to be son of Congo president charged with …

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:42:12 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO – A San Francisco man who claimed to be the son of the president of the Congo has been arrested and charged with fraud for allegedly bilking a Marin County real estate agent and his girlfriend of $1.6 million.

Blessed Marvelous Herve, 41, was charged with one count of wire fraud in a federal criminal complaint Wednesday and arrested in San Francisco that evening, according to U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag.

The complaint was filed under seal and was unsealed after Herve made his initial appearance in federal court in San Francisco on Thursday.

Herve, who is in custody, was ordered to return to the court of U.S. Magistrate Nathaniel Cousins on Monday for a bail hearing.

The wire fraud charge has a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if Herve is convicted.

An affidavit filed with the complaint by FBI Agent Brian Weber said Herve was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was granted asylum in the United States in 1999 and became a U.S. citizen last month.

Weber alleged in the affidavit that Herve defrauded the unidentified real estate agent and his girlfriend of $1.6 million between 2006 and 2012 by telling them a series of stories.

Herve allegedly at first told the agent that his father was the president of the Congo and wanted to buy several multimillion-dollar homes in the Bay Area.

Later, he said he needed help in recovering $43 million the U.S. government had

supposedly seized from him. He promised the agent millions of dollars in bonuses, according to the affidavit.

Weber said the real estate agent gave Herve $635,000 until he became financially broke in 2009. At that point, the agent’s girlfriend starting supplying money through bank wire transfers until she had given a total of $970,000 and also became broke in 2012, the affidavit said.

In 2008, the affidavit said, Herve told the real estate agent he was in trial in a federal court case in San Francisco to recover his money. But he told the agent he couldn’t watch the court hearings because they were being held in secret under the authority of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Weber wrote that Herve told the real estate agent he lived in the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco and that the agent regularly met him in the hotel lobby to give him rides to the federal courthouse in 2008. But the agent never saw his rooms and the hotel has no record of Herve living there that year, Weber said in the affidavit.

From 2009 to 2012, Herve told the agent and his girlfriend he was in federal custody in connection with the alleged court case and communicated with them only by phone, promising that he would get his funds as soon as he was freed.

Weber wrote that the real estate agent said Herve seemed credible because he had documents including a complimentary letter from a U.S. senator and seemed confident and knowledgeable about the Bay Area real estate market.

The FBI agent wrote that the investigation of the case indicates Herve is not the son of a Congolese president, had “no intent or means” to repay his victims, had no court case concerning the alleged seizure of $43 million and was not in federal prison from 2009 to 2012.

Weber wrote that Herve’s alleged actions appear to have been a variation of a scam sometimes referred to as a “Nigerian Prince” or “Nigerian Letter” scheme, in which a person claims ties to a wealthy foreign dignitary and seeks advance fees for gaining access to that wealth.

Article source: http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_23121712/san-francisco-man-who-claimed-be-son-congo

Marin Modern Real Estate Opens New Agent & Client-centric Office, Expands …

Fri, 04 May 2012 07:56:29 +0000

Marin County real estate brokerage establishes new office, which combines technology, efficiency, and green design principles. Company announces expansion of their sales team in Marin County, California.

Marin County, CA (PRWEB) May 03, 2012

Marin Modern Real Estate, a full service residential real estate brokerage firm and “top 10″ real estate brokerage in Marin County, announced the opening of a new, modern real estate office to better serve the needs of their clients and agents throughout Marin County.

Established more than 5 years ago as a boutique Bay Area real estate firm specializing in modern, architectural homes, Marin Modern Real Estate has become one of the fastest-growing residential real estate firms in Marin County. The firm’s approach, which involves selectively recruiting and hiring highly knowledgeable, tech-savvy and full-time, client-focused real estate agents and providing them as well as their clients with meaningful tools and technology to help make them successful in today’s market, has helped the company achieve significant double-digit growth in both sales and transaction volume every year since the firm’s inception. While still recognized as a leading authority for modern and mid-century modern homes, the firm has successfully expanded outside of its niche and assists clients with diverse architectural preferences and budgets.

“I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last 5 years,” commented Renee Adelmann, Owner Realtor of Marin Modern Real Estate. “Despite the challenges faced by others in our industry, our growth has been purely organic and has not come as a result of an acquisition, dramatic headcount expansion, or even by opportunistically riding the foreclosure and short sale wave. Instead we’ve hired great agents, provided them with technology and tools that actually matter and help them succeed, and worked as a cohesive team to succeed and grow in a market that has been so difficult for many others.”

To accommodate the needs of their expanding agent client base, the company has opened a new office at 2144 Fourth Street in San Rafael. Commenting on the new office, Renee Adelmann stated, “Our new office space is a strong reflection of our high-tech, high-touch brand. We designed the space to have a comfortable, brick timber loft feel to it; however, we also respected the need of our agents and clients to have relaxed, private meeting space. I believe we succeeded in achieving both objectives while also infusing the office with a lot of technology and eco-friendly design principles.”

In addition to opening a new office, the company announced the addition of REALTORS Fredrick “Fred” Anlyan and Helen Luttemo to their team. REALTOR and Broker Associate Fred Anlyan joins Marin Modern Real Estate from Coldwell Banker, where he spent more than 10 years assisting buyer and seller clients with their real estate needs in Marin County. REALTOR Helen Luttemo, a licensed agent since 2003, joins Marin Modern Real Estate from Frank Howard Allen.

About Marin Modern Real Estate

Marin Modern Real Estate is an innovative, technology-enabled, and high-touch residential real estate brokerage firm serving the needs of homebuyers and sellers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Founded by one of the Bay Area’s top-producing real estate agents, the company provides unmatched professional representation to real estate clients throughout Marin County (Marin Modern Real Estate), San Francisco (San Francisco Modern Real Estate), as well as Alameda Contra Costa Counties (East Bay Modern Real Estate).

To learn more visit us online at Marin Modern Real Estate, San Francisco Modern Real Estate, and East Bay Modern Real Estate.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/5/prweb9466516.htm

Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/05/03/prweb9466516.DTL

Marin Modern Real Estate Opens New Agent & Client-centric Office, Expands … – Virtual

Thu, 03 May 2012 13:54:49 +0000

Marin County, CA (PRWEB) May 03, 2012

Marin Modern Real Estate, a full service residential real estate brokerage firm and “top 10” real estate brokerage in Marin County, announced the opening of a new, modern real estate office to better serve the needs of their clients and agents throughout Marin County.

About Marin Modern Real Estate

Marin Modern Real Estate is an innovative, technology-enabled, and high-touch residential real estate brokerage firm serving the needs of homebuyers and sellers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

To learn more visit us online at Marin Modern Real Estate, San Francisco Modern Real Estate, and East Bay Modern Real Estate.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/5/prweb9466516.htm

Article source: http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2012/05/03/marin-modern-real-estate-opens-new-agent-client-centric-office-expands-sales-team

Look at Marin homes and have the time of your life staying in Marin County

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 03:00:52 +0000

Marin County is one of the most beautiful counties in California. It is in the North San Francisco Bay Area on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. What makes Marin County really special is its abundance of natural beauty, affluent population, its reputation as a New Age area and its liberal political views. If you are looking for a home in this county then we must commend you on your choice. Marin homes are pretty and you are going to have a great time staying here.

Finding Marin County homes is easy provided you approach the right way. It is simple not possible for you to drive around Marin County, looking for that ideal home. What you need is an expert that handles Marin homes. When you check out some of the best known real estate agents in the area you will find that all of them have a web presence, thus making your search for home a hassle-free experience.

When you reach the website of one of the best known Marin County real estate agents there are some points you will immediately notice. One of the things you will see on their website is a map of the entire area with the available properties listed in it. When you place your cursor on one of the properties listed on the map you will get the basic information about it. The basic information will include the address, the size of the property and the number of rooms, the name of the owner and most importantly, the cost of the property. Finding Marin homes this way is simple and you will immediately feel at ease navigating the map.

A proper Marin County real estate agent will also give you many more options through their website. You can actually search for Marin homes that fit your criteria. You can include your price range and then add other inputs like number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the size of the property, year the home was built, status of the property, schools nearby and many more other inputs. Once you give all your inputs all the available properties matching your criteria will be listed. The next step is to contact the agent and have a look at the property.

Finding Marin homes online has a huge benefit for you. The biggest advantage is that you don’t just hunt for properties without any prior information. You can shortlist Marin County properties online and only check them out. This will not only save you a lot of time but that of the real estate agent too. Both of you can check out the shortlisted properties in a short time and you can then make an informed decision.

Marin County is a fantastic place and if your budget allows you should never think twice about buying one of the Marin homes available for sale. It will be an investment that you will never regret in your entire life. And we are sure you will never sell the property in near future.

Resource Box:
One of the most beautiful residential areas close to San Francisco is Marin County. Look at Marin homes online and go for the purchase. You will love staying here.

Article source: http://www.newsbycompany.com/post/view/7980/Look-at-Marin-homes-and-have-the-time-of-your-life-staying-in-Marin-County/