A St. Louis man confessed on Tuesday to fraudulently obtaining mortgages worth over $1.2 million. Edward James Mitchell Jr., who also goes by the name Musa Muhammad, pleaded guilty to a bank fraud charge in a U.S. District Court in St. Louis. The guilty plea covered four home mortgages totaling $1,225,550 obtained from October 2021 to November 2023. Three properties were located in St. Louis, and one was in Florissant.
Mitchell’s company, Home Team Solutions LLC, initially bought the properties. He reportedly impersonated a relative to buy two of the houses from his own firm, using fraudulent mortgage applications and false information, according to a plea agreement. Mitchell used a relative’s Social Security number and birthdate in the applications. He acquired the third property himself and sold the fourth one to a partner, again using false documents.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, lenders lost $490,946 when Fannie Mae acquired these loans. Mitchell contests that only two loans resulted in a loss, amounting to $226,950.
Mitchell, aged 37, is scheduled for sentencing on July 8. The bank fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, or both.
In October 2023, Mitchell legally changed his name to Musa Muhammad. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman prosecuting.
