Downers Grove Couple Marco and Sandy Lurigio Sentenced in $2.5 Million South Side Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Case from 2021–2026 (U.S. Attorney's Office release: June 23, 2021; later developments are from court records and other sources cited below). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Marco Lurigio and Sandy Lurigio, a husband and wife from Downers Grove, Illinois, both pleaded guilty and were sentenced in federal court in Chicago over a mortgage fraud scheme that a 2021 indictment said cost financial institutions at least $2.5 million [1] [2] [3].

• Sandy Lurigio was sentenced to 8 months in prison and 2 years of supervised release [3].
• Marco Lurigio was sentenced on Nov. 2, 2022. His prison term is not stated in the public docket entries we could review [2].

What prosecutors alleged

The indictment returned June 22, 2021, alleged the following, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois [1]:

• The companies. The Lurigios owned several Illinois companies, including S&G Technologies Inc., O.C. Management Group Inc., Riverview Financial Inc. and Toro Management Inc.
• Recruited buyers. From 2011 to 2014 they recruited buyers to get mortgage loans on properties on Chicago's South Side.
• False loan files. They made, or caused others to make, false statements to lenders about the buyers' employment, income, assets, source of down payment and plans to live in the property.
• Fake jobs. In some cases they told lenders the buyers worked for one of the Lurigios' companies when they didn't.

Prosecutors said Marco Lurigio is also known as "Demetrio Cardone" and Sandy Lurigio as "Janette Chavez." Each was charged with eight counts of financial institution fraud. The investigation was led by the HUD Office of Inspector General.

The defendants

Defendant	Age at charging, home	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Marco Lurigio (a.k.a. "Demetrio Cardone")	45, Downers Grove, Ill.	Pleaded guilty Aug. 2, 2022; sentenced Nov. 2, 2022 (judgment Nov. 8, 2022); amended judgments July 26, 2023, and April 23, 2025; court ruled on a sentence-reduction motion July 31, 2026. Prison term not found in public sources	[2]
Sandy Lurigio (a.k.a. "Janette Chavez")	39, Downers Grove, Ill.	Pleaded guilty to Count 7 (plea agreement Jan. 11, 2023), with other counts dismissed; sentenced June 20, 2023, to 8 months in prison plus 2 years of supervised release (judgment July 25, 2023)	[3]

Case No. 1:21-cr-00387 (N.D. Ill.), U.S. District Judge John F. Kness.

Red flags

• Someone offering to "help you qualify" for a mortgage by listing you as an employee of their company or supplying your down payment.
• Being asked to sign a loan application that says you'll live in a home you plan to rent out or never move into.
• A promoter who handles all the paperwork and asks you not to talk to the lender.

What to do

1. Read every loan document before signing. Never sign anything with false income, employment or occupancy information. Borrowers can be prosecuted too.
2. Report suspected mortgage fraud to the HUD OIG hotline at hudoig.gov/hotline and to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.
3. If you were used as a straw buyer, get legal advice and contact your lender.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Federal Grand Jury Indicts Husband and Wife in Alleged Mortgage Fraud Scheme," June 23, 2021. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-husband-and-wife-alleged-mortgage-fraud-scheme
2. CourtListener, United States v. Lurigio (Marco Lurigio), No. 1:21-cr-00387 (N.D. Ill.), docket. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/61080586/united-states-v-lurigio/
3. CourtListener, United States v. Lurigio (Sandy Lurigio), No. 1:21-cr-00387 (N.D. Ill.), docket, including the Judgment (Sentencing Order) signed July 25, 2023. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/61080012/united-states-v-lurigio/

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