Man accused of illegally obtaining financing on home

By Steve Kanigher

Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011 | 3:56 p.m.

A 53-year-old Las Vegas man indicted today was alleged to have broken the law in obtaining financing on the home of one of his acquaintances, the Nevada Attorney General's office said.

Shafik Hirji was indicted on three counts of forgery and one count of theft for obtaining a loan on the victim’s home and embezzling the proceeds.

The indictment alleges that Hirji completed loan documents in the homeowner’s name and used them to effectuate the loan transaction. In the process, Hirji induced a notary public to certify that the signatures contained on the documents were true and then presented these documents to the lender. The indictment further alleges that Hirji retained the proceeds of the loan, directing that they be deposited into a bank account under his control.

“The facts surrounding this particular crime are especially troubling,” Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto said. “The fact that the owner was unaware his home had been refinanced indicates the crime was committed by someone the victim trusted."

The attorney general’s fraud unit investigated the matter after receiving a complaint from the homeowner who indicated that he was unaware that his property had been refinanced until he received a notification from the new lender. The attorney general’s mortgage fraud unit is prosecuting the matter.