13 people, including a former loan officer with Park Mortgage Group Inc., were charged earlier this week with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme.

Federal prosecutors said Kimberly Wilson, 37, of Shaker Heights, who was employed by Park Mortgage at the time of the offenses, recruited straw buyers to purchase 28 properties in the Cleveland area.

The purpose of the scheme was to deceive mortgage companies into lending more money than a home is worth and taking profits from the proceeds.

A straw buyer is someone who buys a home without intending it to be a permanent residence or an investment over time. As the broker on the sales, Wilson produced fraudulent loan applications that were submitted to lenders, prosecutors said.

Three appraisers charged in the scheme, Lavon Ruderson, 40, of Cleveland, Wesley Rahmon, 41, of Beachwood, and Robert Wilkes Jr., 41, of Cleveland, approved home values inflated by Wilson, according to the indictment.

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