An Elk Grove police officer has been charged by federal authorities for allegedly lying on mortgage loan applications to buy two homes that later went into foreclosure.
Hidayatullah Ali Khalil, 29, was arrested Thursday by the FBI on a three-count complaint and made an initial appearance in Sacramento federal court before being released on a $75,000 unsecured bond.
According to a sworn statement from FBI special agent John Sommercamp, Khalil bought homes in Elk Grove and Watsonville in 2005, indicating both would be his primary residence.
At the time, Khalil was still a deputy with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department. Sommercamp said Khalil grossly inflated his income to purchase both homes, and failed to list the other property as a liability.
According to the complaint, Khalil pulled more than $100,000 in cash out of the Elk Grove house in two separate transactions. Property records show both homes were sold at auction last year.
Elk Grove police spokesman Christoper Trim said Khalil has been with the department since 2006, and has been placed on leave pending an internal investigation.
"Everyone's surprised," said Trim, "He's a hard-working officer, dedicated to the community. He takes his job very seriously and it's unfortunate that this incident came to light."
The FBI said its investigation into Khalil was continuing, with possibly more searches and arrests to come.
Khalil's brother and sister-in-law also made an intial federal court appearance Thursday for their role in an alleged equity-stripping scheme involving a house in El Dorado Hills that later went into foreclosure. They, too, were released on bond.
IRS criminal investigator Christopher Fitzpatrick said Amanullah and Muzdha Khalil lied on a refinancing application to pull nearly $200,000 in cash out of the house at 1288 Souza Drive. According to the complaint, the couple said they lived in the house at the time when it was actually a rental.
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