A Birmingham, Alabama real estate lawyer has been sentenced to two years in prison for conducting a $1 million mortgage fraud scheme, after pleading guilty to four counts of wire fraud.

Kelvin Leonard Davis, 42, knowingly submitting false mortgage documents and statements to various lenders in order to obtain approval for mortgage loans. At the time of the fraudulent transactions, from October 2007 to January 2012, Davis served as the closing attorney on each of the fraudulent loan transactions.  The charges against Davis were filed in October, 2012.

Davis submitted false statements with loan documents in order to obtain approval for mortgage loans that would otherwise not have been approved. In many instances, Davis, while serving as closing attorney, would use his trust account to provide money to the borrower when a mortgage loan was closing.

Davis would recover the money by subtracting the amount he provided from the proceeds he issued to the seller. Davis also would assess the seller a fee, ranging from $1,000 to $6,000, and make checks for the fee payable to Peaceful Valley Homes, a corporation he had formed. Total losses to the various lenders as a result of Davis’ fraud were nearly $1 million.

As part of his plea agreement, Davis agreed to forfeit $269,335 to the government as proceeds of the illegal activity.