Developer lands on ‘Most Wanted’ list

GREELEY – A Greeley developer accused of racketeering is now being featured on the “America’s Most Wanted” Web site.

Mark Strodtman apparently fled the area following the issuance of a warrant in Weld County on charges including racketeering, 11 counts of theft and 11 counts of forgery. The “America’s Most Wanted” site, an Internet arm of the popular television show, indicates that Strodtman could be in Mexico, where he owns real estate.

Strodtman was indicted in March and told the Weld County Sheriff’s Office that he would turn himself in. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also issued a warrant for unlawful flight. The agency is offering a reward for information leading to Strodtman’s capture.

In Weld County, Strodtman faces 23 charges that could carry a combined punishment of up to 378 years in prison. According to the indictment, Strodtman and business partner Dean Juhl formed JS Real Estate in June 2004 to purchase several real estate parcels and facilitate the development of homes on the property. The racketeering charge against Strodtman alleges that he repeatedly engaged in activities to “deceive buyers to purchase homes owned by JS Real Estate LLC and to deceive lenders to purchase the residential loans for the real property sold by JS Real Estate.”

The indictment alleges he induced, or directed others to induce, buyers by agreeing to pay them a kickback from the proceeds of the sale of the homes, under-representing the amount of the monthly mortgage payments, and encouraging them to occupy the home prior to closing the sale.

It goes on to allege that Strodtman assisted in securing financing for the purchase of JS Real Estate’s homes by providing lenders with false information, including inflated incomes and assets and falsely verified employment and outstanding loans.

The theft and forgery charges stem from Strodtman’s alleged use of HUD-1 Settlement Statement forms to procure financing from lenders for the buyers. The forms apparently omitted that the buyers would receive incentive payments for purchasing the property.

Juhl, pleaded guilty on Feb. 13 to theft of $15,000 or more and to second-degree forgery. He received a four-year deferred sentence, will serve 30 days in jail, complete 100 hours of community service and pay restitution, the amount of which has not yet been decided. If he violates the deferred sentence he could face a maximum of 12 years in prison.

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