Mortgage Fraud Costs PG County Woman Her Home, Judge Convicts Man

UPPER MARLBORO, MD — A man who posed as an attorney cost a Prince George's County woman her home; a judge convicted him of theft in a mortgage scheme on Wednesday.

William Wayland, 53, of Potomac was found guilty following a two-day bench trial. He was convicted of theft, not providing a necessary contract and taking money before providing services in a mortgage theft scheme.

The victim, Patricia Duckett, testified at trial that she met Wayland through her hairdresser and he told her he was a lawyer with a firm in Clinton and promised to obtain a mortgage modification to lower her monthly payments. Wayland is not licensed as an attorney in Maryland, the state's attorney said.

From March 2017 to August 2019, Duckett paid Wayland more than $7,000 for a loan modification she never received.

As part of the process Wayland told Duckett to stop paying her mortgage to put the loan in default so the bank would negotiate with him to prevent the loan foreclosure and provide Duckett with a new mortgage with a new favorable rate and lower monthly payments.

Wayland later said he would file two bankruptcies for her and obtain a loan modification of her home mortgage. Duckett eventually lost her home in District Heights to foreclosure.

Other witnesses testified they also paid Wayland for loan modification services.

“We are pleased with the judge’s decision in this case,” State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said in a statement. “Financial crimes are always of concern especially when they target seniors, who are among our most vulnerable populations. I commend Ms. Duckett for bravely testifying and fighting back in this case despite losing her home and I encourage anyone who has been wronged in a similar way to come forward so we can seek justice for them as well.”

Wayland is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11 and faces up to 11 years in prison.