Defendant in mortgage fraud case sentenced

DETROIT (AP) -- A key defendant in a case involving wide-ranging mortgage fraud with losses around $100 million has been sentenced to 13 years in prison. The U.S. attorney's office in Detroit says 45-year-old Ronnie Duke of Fenton also was ordered Monday to pay a $1 million fine and $94 million in restitution. The Detroit News reports Duke told a federal judge that he had "no one to blame" for his "own greed and stupidity" that led him to turn to mortgage fraud. Duke spoke of a life "so reckless" that led him to spend money on hot rods, sports cars and a helicopter. Authorities say the fraud lasted four years until summer 2007 and involved more than 450 loans and 100 straw buyers. Fifteen others previously have been sentenced in the case. Published: Wed, Apr 10, 2013