Salem mortgage adviser accused of defrauding families and losing their homes pleads guilty

On the day a Salem mortgage consultant was scheduled to stand trial for defrauding a dozen people — and causing at least two families to lose their homes — he instead pleaded guilty to stealing almost $80,000. 

Oscar Tejeda-Sandoval, 52, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of theft, identity theft, aggravated theft and aggravated identity theft Monday, Jan. 6, in Polk County Circuit Court. 

Polk County Judge Rafael Caso said Tejeda-Sandoval could remain out-of-custody until his June 4 sentencing date. 

He could face up to six years in prison — or even longer if he does not pay full restitution. 

Tejeda-Sandoval was charged with 30 counts of aggravated theft, identity theft, forgery and first-degree theft for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his clients throughout the Willamette Valley. 

He was arrested in April 2016 following a joint investigation by the Salem Police Department and the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation, which was launched after several victims reported being defrauded by the mortgage consultant. 

According to investigators, Tejeda-Sandoval modified the mortgages of his victims and received their monthly mortgage statements. Instead of paying the mortgages as promised, the consultant kept the victims' money and used it to pay off his own debts.

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Tejeda-Sandoval was accused of defrauding two financial institutions and eight people out of more than $63,000. Two victims lost their homes to foreclosure after being victimized by Tejeda-Sandoval, police said.

He was also accused of forging a check from a client for his personal use.

At his plea hearing Monday, prosecutor Sarah Shepherd said Tejeda-Sandoval promised to pay a total of $78,640 in restitution before his June 4 sentencing. 

In turn, prosecutors agreed to cap their sentencing recommendation at six years in prison. If he pays any less than the total restitution, the state will be able to argue for a longer sentence, Shepherd said. 

All of the identified victims were of Hispanic descent and many spoke Spanish as their first language, according to court documents.

Tejeda-Sandoval allegedly targeted people in McMinnville, Beaverton, Woodburn, Eugene and Salem. At the time of his arrest, police said they believed he may have victimized others in the region. 

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Seven months later, eight additional counts of first-degree theft and identity theft listing four new victims were filed against Tejeda-Sandoval.

Three more counts of identity theft followed in April 2018. 

Tejeda-Sandoval pleaded not guilty to all counts and maintained his innocence, going as far as to request a new attorney because the lawyer had pushed him to take a plea deal and "ignored key evidence" in his case, according to a letter Tejeda-Sandoval wrote to the court. 

Long road of canceled trial dates

In the ensuing years, five scheduled jury trials were canceled. Tejeda-Sandoval waived his right to a jury trial and faced a bench trial before Polk County Judge Monte Campbell in October 2018.

After a confidential meeting with defense counsel, Campbell removed the then-defense team and recused himself from the case. 

For undeclared reasons, Campbell declared a mistrial, and the case was reassigned to Caso. Four subsequent scheduled trials were canceled. 

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In December, current defense attorney Paul Ferder filed a motion to suppress evidence found after a search warrant was executed at Tejeda-Sandoval's West Salem home and his vehicle, claiming when stripped of its "puffery," the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant failed to establish cause.

He called the search and seizure of Tejeda-Sandoval's computer and documents "undue rummaging" due to the "overbroad" warrant. 

Prosecutors argued that the search warrant was the result of an "in-depth financial fraud investigation" by Salem police. 

In a motion, Shepherd said the warrant was in no way deficient and clearly stated that Tejeda-Sandoval lived in West Salem and was known to work from home as a loan officer during the time he committed the alleged frauds. 

Last minute plea agreement

The five-day trial was set to begin Monday. But as the start time neared, Tejeda-Sandoval agreed to plead guilty to 10 of the 30 counts against him. 

As Caso listed the charges — seven counts of first-degree theft, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of identity theft and one count of aggravated first-degree theft — he asked Tejeda-Sandoval how he pleaded. 

"Guilty, your honor," Tejeda-Sandoval replied. 

Caso made it clear that if Tejeda-Sandoval did not appear his sentencing in June, any negotiations he'd made with the district attorney's office would be out the window. 

"It's very important that if we give you this day that you come back," he said. 

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodwort@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth