A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on June 19, 2008, the Federal Grand Jury sitting in East St. Louis, Illinois, indicted KEITH L. PITTMAN , age 53, formerly of Maryville, Illinois, in an one-count indictment charging him with mortgage loan fraud. The offense carries a penalty of up to 30 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, or both.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

The investigation and indictment coincide with the National Mortgage Fraud Takedown named “Operation Malicious Mortgage.” This morning in Washington, D.C., an FBI-organized press conference announced “Operation Malicious Mortgage,” highlighting both the significant threat posed by mortgage fraud for federally insured and uninsured lenders and the ongoing law enforcement response.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Liam Coonan.