Attorney for Easton Man Sentenced for Fraud Scheme

EASTON, CT — A Maryland man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in Easton native Timothy W. Burke's long-running fraud scheme targeting distressed homeowners in Connecticut. Bradford Barneys, 51, of Odenton was licensed to practice law in Bridgeport.

Barneys was also sentenced to three years supervised release. His law license was suspended and he was ordered not to apply for reinstatement of his law license, and not to engage in any business related to real estate, while he is on supervised release.

Court documents say Burke engaged in a scheme to defraud individuals, mortgage lenders and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by falsely representing to homeowners that he would pay off their debt. Homeowners signed documents stating they would be able to walk away from their homes without the burdens of their mortgage.

He also told homeowners to ignore foreclosure notices. After gaining control of the homes, Burke rented properties to tenants.

"Burke undertook extensive efforts to disguise his true identity, and hide his criminal past, from his victims through the use of multiple aliases and business entities, and to conceal the sources of and expenditures from his criminal proceeds," read a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Barneys participated in dozens of meetings with Burke, and was paid over $72,000. He also represented Burke in eviction proceedings, and knowingly participated in the scheme. Barneys also participated in a similar scheme in Maryland.

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