One marijuana operation only stopped when the property burned down
One marijuana operation only stopped when the property burned down
Two men from New York pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bangor on Wednesday to conspiring to defraud Maine banks of mortgage funding to buy houses used to illegally cultivate marijuana.
According to court records, Tony Liang, 37, of Brooklyn, New York, orchestrated a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain over half a million dollars in residential mortgage loans from two Maine banks.
Documents say Liang and co-conspirators used the money to buy properties in Bucksport, Eddington, and Canaan that were then used to illegally grow and produce marijuana.
Court records say that, throughout the loan application process, Liang emailed and DocuSigned false information to the banks, including creating and submitting fake documentation.
Court documents say Liang maintained a property in Bucksport from January 2021 through February 2022 for the purpose of manufacturing marijuana, until a severe house fire disrupted the operation.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office investigated the fire and found the remains of the illegal marijuana grow including grow materials, chemicals, high-powered lighting, charred marijuana plants, processed marijuana, and hydroponics equipment.
According to court documents, Yongliang Deng, 35, of Queens, New York, provided his personal information and government-issued identification documentation to Liang, who used it from November through December 2020 to apply for and obtain a residential mortgage loan from a Maine bank to buy the Eddington property.
Court documents say Deng used his own bank accounts to make the down payment and pay the closing costs, with money received through Liang. Court documents say Liang agreed to pay Deng money each month in exchange for Deng nominally holding the property as its owner.
In May 2024, federal law enforcement agents interviewed Deng and say he admitted that the property in Eddington was an investment which had been rented out, and that he had never lived there.
Neither defendant nor any property associated with the conspiracy was licensed through the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy.
Liang and Deng each face up to 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million for the mortgage fraud conspiracy. Liang also faces 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000 for maintaining the marijuana-involved premises.
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