GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - Prosecutors say a businessman accused of conspiring to rig bids at public foreclosure auctions in Mississippi has become the sixth real estate investor to plead guilty in the investigation.
The Sun Herald cites a U.S. Department of Justice statement as saying that Ivan Spinner pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court to one charge of price fixing. Prosecutors say that from April 2010 to August 2015 Spinner and co-conspirators fixed prices on foreclosed real estate being auctioned at county courthouses.
The formal charge filed against Spinner and others says they agreed in secret who would bid on specific properties. The conspirators who agreed not to bid on them received payoffs.
Spinner’s sentencing is Oct. 17. Judge Louis Guirola Jr. is presiding over the cases.
It is unclear if Spinner has a lawyer.
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Information from: The Sun Herald, http://www.sunherald.com
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