Two men from New York have pleaded guilty in federal court in Bangor, Maine, to charges related to a conspiracy that defrauded Maine banks out of mortgage funds used to purchase houses for illegal marijuana cultivation.
Court records show that Tony Liang, 37, of Brooklyn, orchestrated the scheme to fraudulently secure more than $500,000 in residential mortgage loans from two banks in Maine. The money was used to buy properties in Bucksport, Eddington, and Canaan. During the loan application process, Liang submitted false information and fabricated documents through email and DocuSign. The banks were told the properties would be used as residences; however, each was instead used for illegal marijuana growing operations.
Liang also admitted guilt to maintaining a property in Bucksport for marijuana production between January 2021 and February 2022. The operation ended after a severe house fire prompted an investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office. Investigators found evidence of illegal marijuana cultivation at the site, including grow materials, chemicals, lighting equipment, charred plants, processed marijuana, and hydroponics equipment.
Yongliang Deng, 35, of Queens, provided his personal details and identification documents to Liang. From November through December 2020, Liang used this information to obtain a mortgage from a Maine bank for the Eddington property. Deng paid the down payment and closing costs with funds received from Liang and misrepresented his intent to use the property as his primary residence. Instead, Deng later admitted during a May 2024 interview with federal agents that he never lived at the property and it had been rented out as an investment. In exchange for holding nominal ownership of the property, Deng received monthly payments from Liang.
Neither defendant nor any property involved held licenses from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy.
Both men face up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $1 million for their roles in the mortgage fraud conspiracy. Additionally, Liang faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $500,000 for maintaining premises involved with marijuana production. Sentencing will occur after presentence reports are completed by the U.S. Probation Office; final sentences will be determined by a federal judge according to statutory guidelines.
The investigation was conducted by several agencies: FBI; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); IRS-Criminal Investigations; Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office; and Maine Fire Marshal’s Office.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created under Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is described as "a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad." According to officials: "Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations... In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children." The task force includes multiple federal agencies working together with prosecutions led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.
