San Diego

James Martin Witczak of Los Angeles pleaded guilty Thursday in Superior Court to conspiracy, grand theft and forgery in a scheme in which he and an associate attempted to defraud two local homeowners of $670,000 through phony loans on their properties. Witczak, 39, is also a suspect in a massive Los Angeles real estate fraud scheme that resulted in losses of $5.7 million to lending institutions throughout California. Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Sullivan said that Witczak attempted to obtain phony loans by posing as the owner of the properties and filing false loan applications. He was apprehended when an insurance policy for a phony loan was mistakenly sent to a Rancho Santa Fe homeowner, who was surprised to learn that someone posing as him had taken out a loan on his house. Witczak will be sentenced on April 18 and could receive three years and four months in state prison.