<p>Thirteen people have been indicted on charges that they conspired to steal more than $1.23 million from mortgage companies.</p><p>A Bibb County grand jury indicted each of the 13 people Tuesday on two counts of violating the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.</p><p>They are accused of conspiring to take money from mortgage companies to buy 22 pieces of property but keep some of the money in each case.</p><p>The indictment claims that from June 2000 to May 2004, members of the group conspired to defraud mortgage companies by preparing fraudulent sales contracts on 22 Bibb County properties. Although the properties were real, the scheme involved over-inflating the values so the lenders would finance more than the properties were worth. A seller would be given money equaling the value of the property and the conspirators would pocket the rest, prosecutors say.</p><p>Assistant district attorney Sharrell Lewis of the Macon Judicial Circuit said all of those indicted will be allowed to turn themselves within the next few weeks.</p><p>Indicted were: Macon attorney William Lewis Vaughn; Macon attorney James Avant; Tanya Louise Miller, a paralegal in Vaughn's office; Clover Mae Ramos, loan originator for a Perry mortgage company; Willie Frank Ivey, loan originator for a Macon mortgage company; Macon businessman Larry Thomas Sr.; Paul Harrison, owner of Charter Brokers Mortgage Co. in Macon; Shirley Louise Thomas, loan originator for a Macon mortgage company; Tracy Ford Bryant, loan originator for a Macon mortgage company; Solomon Williams, a real estate agent; Barry Weatherly, owner of Ideal Mortgage Co. in Macon; Dawson Andre Wise, a Milledgeville businessman; and Marcus Malcolm, owner of Agape Properties in Lithonia.</p><p>Lewis said the investigation is still ongoing and more people could be charged.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x2865bfc)</p>
