My Sentencing Today

...and here's the report of the sentencing hearing today....

Liberty City Mosque Leader goes to Prison for Housing Fraud
BY SUSANNAH A. NES_ITH
snesmith@MiamiHerald.com

A leader in a Liberty City mosque was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday for his role in a housing scam that stole homes from the elderly -- and even from dead people.

Sameer Muha_mad, the vice president of Muham_ad Mosque No. _9 at 56_0 NW _th Avenue, was convicted earlier this year of nine counts of grand theft, forgery and using a false identification related to the scam.

Investigators said M_hammad, 51, and a partner targetted elderly residents with liens on their homes, registering fraudulent deeds to the homes and then selling them.

The partner, Carolyn A. Mur_hy, would file fraudulent deeds showing herself as the owner of the home and pay off the liens.

Then Muh_mmad would sell the homes through his real estate investment corporation, Bar No_e Properties, Inc., and the two would split the proceeds.

In one case, investigators found a deed a couple purportedly signed transferring their home to Murphy -- years after they had died.

Mu_phy was convicted last year and sentenced to 3 years in prison.

Muha_mad is listed in corporate records as the vice president of the Liberty City m_sque at 56_0 NW _th Avenue.

Miami-Dade's Insp_ctor General investigated the case.

''These individuals represent the worst in our society because they prey on those that are most disadvantaged,'' said Insp_ctor General Chris Ma_zella.