32-Year-Old Allentown Woman Charged in Fraudulent Mortgage Scheme

On June 8, 2023, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and Bordentown City Police Chief Shaun Lafferty announced that an Allentown, New Jersey woman has been charged with providing fraudulent documents to obtain a mortgage and attempting to use a fraudulent $76,000 check to cover the closing costs of the real estate transaction.

Sydne Phillips, 32, was charged with two counts of Theft by Deception (Second Degree), Identity Crime – Impersonation (Second Degree) and two counts of Forgery (Third Degree).

She was taken into custody June 1 and lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility in Mays Landing pending a detention hearing in Superior Court.

The case will be prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment.

The investigation began in January after a representative of a Bordentown City title company approached police with a fraudulent check in the amount of $76,652.79 that had been provided at closing by Phillips.

The investigation, which is continuing, revealed that the check was part of a scheme that allowed Phillips to secure a mortgage on an $840,000 house on Cannonball Court in Allentown, New Jersey.

According to publicly available information, the five-bedroom, 3.5 bath house sits on a .37 acre lot. It was sold on January 13, 2023.

She is also accused of forging multiple documents, using the identity of a relative, providing fraudulent tax income forms for that relative, and providing fraudulent bank account statements. She was taken into custody at the residence she is accused of illegally obtaining.

The investigation was conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Bordentown City Police Department, with assistance from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. The lead investigators are BCPD Detective Justin Lewandowski and BCPO Detective Michele Ragone.

Phillips is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Assistant Prosecutor Andrew R. McDonnell, supervisor of the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit.

All persons are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.