A brother and sister in California have been charged in an alleged multimillion dollar real-estate scam.
Adolfo Schoneke, 43, of Torrance, CA, and his sister, Bianca Gonzalez, 38 — also known as Blanca Schoneke — of Walnut, CA, each pleaded not guilty to nine charges on Tuesday, according to an indictment unsealed after their arrests. The indictment charges the pair with one count of conspiracy, seven counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Investigators estimate that several hundred victims lost more than $6 million collectively during the scheme.
According to the indictment, with the help of co-conspirators, both defendants operated real estate and escrow companies based in Cerritos, La Palma and Long Beach under eight different names including MCR and West Coast.
