South Florida Woman Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Advance Fee for Loan Scam

Lucille Poag, of North Miami, pleaded guilty to a charge of organized fraud in connection with a long-running fraudulent loan scheme that defrauded approximately 240 potential homebuyers out of more than $420,000 for more than a decade. Poag was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison to be followed by 24 months of supervised release. The court also ordered Poag to pay restitution to certain victims who filed statements of harm with the court.

A former licensed real estate broker, Poag placed advertisements in the Miami Times for more than a decade, offering homebuyers assistance with obtaining government grants of up to $65,000. Poag presented to victims that she had direct connections to a governmental grant program intended for first time homebuyers, minorities, and low-income families. Victims would give Poag an $1800 down payment on the promise that she would secure mortgages or government grants for them. She made a variety of claims to attempt to explain her inability to provide funding. When prospective homebuyers requested the return of their down payments, Poag used fraudulent statements and stall tactics to keep the victims believing that a grant was still in process. The investigation revealed that she used victims’ money to pay for personal expenses.

The case was investigated by the OFR, ands was prosecuted by the Economic Crimes Unit of the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office.