By Paul Pinkham, The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville

Oct. 20--In the past two weeks federal prosecutors have charged at least eight real estate professionals with some type of mortgage fraud in Duval and St. Johns counties.

One already has pleaded guilty and another is scheduled to Monday. U.S. Attorney A. Brian Albritton said there are dozens more people under investigation who he expects to be indicted in the coming weeks.

It's all part of a concerted federal effort to expedite real estate fraud cases that have come to light in Florida because of the economic downturn and resulting foreclosures.

"Mortgage fraud is, to a large extent, uncovered when there is a foreclosure," Albritton said. "People go to look at the collateral and realize it's not enough to support the loan."

Albritton said his office and the FBI have spearheaded the effort, dubbed "Mortgage Fraud Surge," in Jacksonville, Orlando and the Gulf Coast. The goal is to accelerate investigations that typically can take years down to 10 months because of the pervasiveness of the problem.

"North Florida has been heavily impacted by the foreclosure crisis," said FBI Special Agent Rick Dent of Jacksonville. "Every foreclosure is not indicative of mortgage fraud. It's one of the indicators."

The agencies are in the first stage of the operation, which was launched in February and designed to eventually go after more sophisticated fraud schemes by professionals and institutions, Albritton said.

"Real estate is so important to the economy of Florida. Unfortunately it's earned the moniker 'Ponzi state,'â?©" Albritton said. He said fraud was pervasive in Florida's real estate boom but wasn't really discovered until the bottom fell out.

Those charged the past two weeks include:

n Sharon Keller Baker, office manager of a Jacksonville title services company.

n Joseph Cirlot, a former mortgage broker in St. Johns County.

n Jennifer Rosemarie Genus of Jacksonville, employee of an unnamed company that sold property.

n Donna Nelson Gurlides, a Jacksonville real estate agent.

n Timothy Lee Miller of Jacksonville, a production manager for a mortgage company.

n Christopher Reid, a St. Johns County mortgage broker.

n Barry Westergom, a Jacksonville appraiser who pleaded guilty Oct. 8.

n Winslow Ballenger Wheeler, a St. Johns County mortgage broker.

The number of defendants could be higher because other indictments may have been sealed pending arrest.

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