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Orlando Carter trial day four: ‘This never happened.’
I’ll be subbing for reporter Josh Sweigart today and tomorrow as it pertains to the ongoing trial of former Dynus Corp. owner Orlando Carter.
Today’s testimony continued regarding allegations that Carter falsified documents to secure a loan for a $1.2 million house in Maineville — a loan that, as it turns out, was for much more than he could afford.
One note of local interest before getting into that, however:
Two local folks were named in connection with a deal to bring fiber optics to Greensboro, Ala. in 2005. Testimony by former Dynus consultant John Catalano, who helped to secure financing for certain projects, included comments on exhibits of e-mail strings among several Dynus officials.
Among those officials involved in discussions to secure loans for the Greensboro deal were West Chester Twp. Trustee George Lang and Scott Owens, according to the exhibits.
Yesterday’s testimony covered former Butler County Auditor Kay Rogers’ involvement in the loan. Witnesses said a letter from Rogers, acting independent from the county as a Certified Public Accountant, helped to secure the loan from Long Beach Mortgage.
That letter verified Carter was the 100-percent owner of Dynus, and that the now-defunct company was worth $13 million.
Now, onto the rest of today’s testimony thus far.
Carter is fighting an 11-count indictment, including charges of bank fraud and forgery. He’s alleged to have misrepresented his income to secure a $1.2 million home, misled banks about business deals with Butler Count. He’s also accused of lying on a bankruptcy petition.
The mortgage broker on the deal to secure the loan for Carter’s dream home was Damian Ortiz, leader of the Dynus Corp. mortgage arm, Dynus Financial, who testified today that he was pressured by his boss into submitting fudged documents.
Ortiz said he told Carter (who he considered at mentor at first) the home’s price was more than he could likely afford.
But, “He had his heart set on the house,” Ortiz said. “He said ‘we can make that happen. We have to make that happen. I want that house.”
He said Carter instructed him to meet with Julia Light, another Dynus officer, who would “make it happen.”
When Ortiz obtained the documents needed to secure the loan (a copy of Carter’s W-2 and two recent pay stubs), he immediately noticed something was wrong.
“The taxes were way off,” Ortiz said.
“When I got them from her, she basically told me that this never happened,” Ortiz told the court. “I knew what we were doing was wrong. …And she was very, very nervous, as was I.”
Although he knew what was happening, Ortiz said he sent the documents to Long Beach Mortgage to obtain the loan for the home because he felt pressured.
“I made a bad decision,” Ortiz said. “I was under a lot of pressure to get this deal done. It was my boss that was asking me to get it done.
“I needed to make sure my income was secure. I had two kids to support.”
Ortiz also testified he had done the same for former Dynus Corp. President James Smith and himself.
Ortiz said the U.S government offered him immunity from any charges so long as he is truthful during testimony.
After lunch, U.S. attorneys will continue their questioning of Julia Light.
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