A man accused of murdering his father in New Jersey has been indicted in Denver on multiple charges related to a mortgage fraud scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Denver said today.
William M. Silvi, 43, was indicted for wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering in connection with the alleged scheme.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Denver said Silvi is currently in custody in New Jersey awaiting trial for murder, but was living in Colorado during the time of the the alleged mortgage fraud scheme.
The indictment was filed today in U.S. District Court in Denver.
Silvi and his brother-in-law, Daniel Tunks, also of Colorado Springs, are accused of conspiring to kill Silvi’s father, William Marcucci in Saddle Brook, N.J., in May 2008. The men are charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes in connection with the Marcucci homicide.
In the mortgage fraud indictment, it is alleged that Silvi devised a scheme to defraud various financial institutions and commercial lenders to obtain money and property.
The gist of the scheme were 11 Colorado properties some of which were bought and sold multiple times, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The indictment alleges that between March 2005 and January 2008, Silvi would find people he knew to buy residential properties. In order to purchase the properties, the buyers applied to various financial institutions and commercial lenders for mortgage loans.
The indictment alleges that Silvi, to qualify each of the buyers for the mortgage loans, inflated or fabricated employment income, rental income and the assets of the buyer.
Silvi also allegedly submitted false IRS W-2 forms or paycheck stubs for the buyer.
The indictment alleges that frequently the Colorado properties purchased by the buyers were being sold to them by people Silvi knew well. As part of the transactions for the properties, Silvi and the property sellers would allegedly inflate the sale price of the property so Silvi would receive the inflated portion of the sale price at, or shortly after, the closing of the purchase transaction.
According to the indictment, the money was usually paid to the seller at the closing of the purchase transaction. The seller then would turn around an pay Silvi from the funds, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In the New Jersey murder case, which authorities say was hatched in Colorado Springs, Silvi is accused of luring his father from his home in the Bronx to New Jersey where they were supposed to have a meeting.
Tunks then showed up and shot Marcucci in the back of the head, according to prosecutors.
Marcucci was found in his Cadillac behind a Bennigan’s restaurant in Saddle Brook with a gunshot wound to the back of his head.
The motive, according to state prosecutors in New Jersey, was to collect insurance policies that Silvi had taken out on his father.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
