Siblings scam $6 million from ‘buyers’ of California homes not up for sale, feds say

The homes weren’t for sale, but a Southern California brother and sister “sold” them to house-hunters anyway, federal officials say.

Adolfo Schoneke, 43, of Torrance, and his sister, Bianca Gonzalez, 38, of Walnut, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nine charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says in a news release.

Schoneke and Gonzalez ran a real estate scam in which they listed homes that weren’t for sale without the consent of the owners, using firms they operated in Cerritos, La Palma and Long Beach, according to the release.

Using other people’s broker licenses, the siblings listed the homes as short sales available below market price. They also tricked the owners of some homes into allowing them to host open houses for prospective buyers, federal officials say.

Schoneke and Gonzalez “sold” some of the homes multiple times, stringing along victims for years by claiming delays in authorization from lenders, the release says.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the brother and sister also convinced office workers to open bank accounts in their own names to receive the payments, then withdraw it as cash to turn over to Schoneke and Gonzalez.

Several hundred victims lost more than $6 million in the scam, according to the release. If convicted, Schoneke and Gonzalez could face up to 162 years in prison.

This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 7:46 AM with the headline "Siblings scam $6 million from ‘buyers’ of California homes not up for sale, feds say."