LOL, OMG, you can’t make this stuff up.
A Maryland woman who stole millions from Washington area homeowners trying to avoid foreclosure is a “vulture” whose case should serve as a warning to other con artists, a federal judge said yesterday before imposing a sentence of more than 12 years.
Joy Jackson, 41, a former exotic dancer who became president of the Metropolitan Money Store, carried out the years-long scheme through the Lanham-based business. She used the cash to buy jewelry, fur coats and vacations, and to cover a lavish wedding at the Mayflower Hotel, where Patti LaBelle serenaded guests who feasted on lobster and drank Cristal.
Metropolitan, which advertised on gospel and R&B stations, promised to help people keep their homes and repair their credit. Instead, Jackson and several co-conspirators, including her husband, Kurt Fordham, took titles to properties and drained them of equity.
The case produced more courtroom drama Monday when Assistant U.S. Attorney James A. Crowell IV was punched in the face by a relative of Jackson’s key accomplice, Jennifer McCall, witnesses said.
