“Property Wars” alum Scott Menaged has a legal battle on his hands.
Menaged, one of the stars of the former Discovery Channel show, has been indicted on 24 charges, according to legal papers obtained by TheWrap.
The alleged fraud involved a string of furniture stores that, according to the indictment, were owned and operated by Menaged.
According to the indictment, beginning in September 2015, Menaged and others “did voluntarily, intentionally, and knowingly conspire, combine,confederate and agree together, and with each other, and with other individuals, both known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to commit Bank Fraud.”
Specifically, the indictment says, Menaged “did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme or artifice to defraud and obtain money, funds, credits, and assets, by and under the custody and control of a financial institution … by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.”
The alleged fraud involved creating “fabricated receipts of purchases allegedly made at Furniture King stores by customers when, in fact, no sale had ever occurred,” the indictment claims.
According to the indictment, Menaged and the others “created fabricated receipts of purchases allegedly made at Furniture King stores by customers when, in fact, no sale had ever occurred.”
The indictment, handed down May 16 in federal court in Arizona, says that credit applications using the information of recently deceased people were submitted to obtain credit from Wells Fargo, and that altered identification documents were submitted with the credit applications.
Menaged has been charged with conspiracy to defraud, as well as numerous counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
“Property Wars,” which aired for two seasons beginning in 2012, featured Menaged and other men bidding on foreclosed homes without being able to look inside.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.