Mortgage fraud nets man 8 years in prison

TAMPA -- The point person for a multimillion-dollar mortgage and construction fraud scheme was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison.

Bradford C. Peck, 31, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. A former Hillsborough County resident, he would offer homeowners estimates on home construction and then his associates would secure fradulent mortgages to finance the projects. Victims across the state, including Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, were left with shoddy or incomplete construction work.

Peck was prosecuted in Polk County by the Florida Attorney General's Office. Both the Hillsborough County Consumer Protection Agency and the Tampa Police Department helped with the three-year investigation.

-- Colleen Jenkins, Times staff writer