An Orange County real estate investor pleaded not guilty in a federal bank fraud case involving a nearly $100 million real estate lending relationship and title insurance policies prosecutors say were falsified.
Mahender Makhijani, 44, of Corona del Mar, was arraigned Monday in federal court in Santa Ana on charges tied to a loan made by Phoenix-based Western Alliance Bank, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said Makhijani is accused of manipulating title policies to make collateral pledged to the bank look more valuable than it actually was…