A Marin County judge last Wednesday sent a Fairfield man to jail after he admitted running a mortgage-fraud scheme that targeted an elderly Greenbrae resident, according to court filings. Judge Geoffrey Howard sentenced 58-year-old Ronnie Curtis Baker to two years behind bars and ordered a period of probation, with restitution to be worked out by probation officers.
As part of a plea agreement accepted in December, Baker admitted to multiple counts, including elder theft, forgery, diversion of construction funds, conspiracy, money laundering and contracting without a license. Prosecutors say he used the victim’s identification to obtain a fraudulent loan on a home with roughly $900,000 in equity, as reported by the Marin Independent Journal. The Marin County district attorney’s office says Baker siphoned about $250,000 from the victim and laundered roughly $230,000 through business accounts before using some of the proceeds to buy property and cover personal expenses. The victim, Lee Greenberg, told reporters he lost more than $1,000,000 and has filed a civil lawsuit against Baker and co-defendant Kimberly…..