TVC E – Former most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Sandra Petgrave and her husband, Chiedu Chukwuka have been sentenced to jail in connection to a mortgage fraud ring that operated for about 5 years in Georgia, USA.
The 1992 MBGN title winner was sentenced last December, to 18 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release after being ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,051,970.77, while her husband will serve nine years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and will pay a restitution in the amount of $5,868,243.80.
The couple, who have six children, four girls and twin boys, have earlier been on the wrong side of the law. On August 2, 2009, the ex-beauty queen was charged with battery against her husband and spent two days in jail before being released on bail.
Investigations by FBI showed that Chiedu led the fraud ring that operated from 2006 to 2011.
‘At the height of the recent mortgage-fraud crisis, this property-flipping scheme caused scores of homes to fall into foreclosure, costing financial institutions millions of dollars in losses,’ said U. S. Attorney John Horn. ‘Many communities in our district have been decimated by mortgage fraud during the last 15 years and even now struggle to recover from the effects of these schemes.’
‘The sentencing of Mr. Chukwuka brings to a close a lengthy investigation and prosecution of a criminal enterprise that targeted the banking industry through their prolific mortgage fraud schemes. Mr. Chukwuka, considered by law enforcement and prosecution to be head of this enterprise, caused extensive damage with high loss amounts to those victim banks involved. The FBI is pleased with the role it played in bringing about this sentencing to federal prison of Mr. Chukwuka as well as the previous sentencings of his co-defendants in this matter,’ said J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.
