The Amicos and other original defendants were first indicted in late December on mortgage fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy and other counts. Three of those defendants have since pleaded guilty. All the defendants are to be arraigned next week, said officials in the U.S. Attorney's Office. The new federal indictment supersedes, or replaces, the earlier one. It was done because the ongoing investigation uncovered new facts, including the allegations against Lieberman, officials said.
Some defendants face the same charges that they did before, while others face additional counts.
For instance, five counts of mortgage fraud were added to the charges against Robert A. Amico, all alleging submission of falsified mortgage applications to lenders. Lieberman could not reached for comment. Prosecutors have described the conspiracy as one of the biggest fraud schemes ever uncovered in Western New York. They say the Amicos, who built several hundred homes in Rochester suburbs from the mid-1990s through last year, used phony documents to induce lenders to make mortgage loans for far more than the homes were actually worth. Mortgage brokers are agents who help borrowers find banks or other lenders.