United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced today, March 13, 2008, that Robert L. Dodsworth, a resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court in Erie to 76 months in jail, a $50,000 fine, over $57,000 in restitution and three years supervised release on his conviction of conspiracy and money laundering.

United States District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin imposed the sentence on Dodsworth, age 60.

According to information presented to the court by Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold, Dodsworth and others conspired to falsify mortgage loan applications for home buyers who could not have otherwise obtained a mortgage.  Dodsworth and others also accompanied prospective home buyers to the buyers' banks and deposited money into the buyers’ accounts to make it appear as if the buyers had higher account balances.  In conjunction with his plea and sentencing, Dodsworth agreed that the amount of loss attributable to his conduct was more than $1,000,000.  Dodsworth also stipulated that he was a manager and supervisor of the conspiracy.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge McLaughlin stated that when "the fraudulent house of cards" that Dodsworth "constructed collapsed, many individuals lost their homes."  Judge McLaughlin also noted that Dodsworth's conduct was "protracted and quite destructive to the community."

Ms. Buchanan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development ‑ Office of Inspector General, and the United States Secret Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Dodsworth.

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