Matthew Bevan Cox (born July 2, 1969) is an American former mortgage broker, admitted mortgage fraudster, con man, and true crime author who has written several stories paralleling his real life crimes.
Cox falsified documents to make it appear that he owned properties, and then fraudulently obtained several mortgages on them for five to six times their actual worth. He acquired millions of dollars this way; estimates report the amount at between US$15 million and $55 million. Cox's first conviction occurred in 2002 when he was sentenced to probation for mortgage fraud. He then sold the mortgage company he owned in a Tampa, Florida-area firm. He began his life as a dedicated criminal in central Florida after that offense, before fleeing the area when his activities were discovered. His crime spree continued across the southern and southwestern United States, eventually landing him on the United States Secret Service's Most Wanted list. He was aided by several female accomplices, some of whom are in prison or have served time there for their participation in his fraudulent mortgage practices. Cox was arrested on November 16, 2006. Indicted on 42 counts, and facing prison sentences of up to 125 years, he plea bargained his sentence down to a maximum of 54 years on April 11, 2007, and was sentenced to 26 years on November 17, 2007. He was released from prison in July 2019.
Cox is currently a full time true crime author, podcaster, a keynote speaker. He lives and works in central Florida.
His story is well chronicled and has been featured on Dateline NBC, CNBC's American Greed, in Fortune magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, Playboy magazine, and other media outlets.
Early life Born in Florida, Cox struggled in school due to severe dyslexia.Bishop, Shane. Telling the Tale of a Silver Tongued Liar, msnbc.msn.com, March 30, 2007, accessed April 15, 2007. His teachers advised him to get a job in which he worked with his hands, so he studied sculpture at the University of South Florida, and majored in art.Morrison, Keith. Fraud by the book, NBC News., April 2, 2007, accessed April 4, 2007. Cox took a job as an insurance agent after college, but his income disappointed him, and he sought out higher-paying work.
Adult life
Tampa, Florida
Cox left his job as an insurance agent to work as a mortgage broker for a local company.Vickers, Marcia. The Bonnie and Clyde of mortgage fraud, Fortune, November 4, 2006, accessed April 4, 2007. While there he developed a reputation for unscrupulousness, which was heightened by his authorship of an unpublished 317-page manuscript entitled The Associates.Testerman, Jeff. Fraud by the book: Novelist becomes his own hero, St. Petersburg Times, December 19, 2004, accessed April 4, 2007.Sharks In The Housing Pool, BusinessWeek, September 5, 2005, accessed October 2, 2010. The novel's protagonist, who shares many traits in common with Cox, travels the country committing mortgage fraud. Cox told co-workers about the book, and elaborated its details to them.Umberger, Mary. A mortgage scam you can make book on, Chicago Tribune, December 3, 2006, accessed April 4, 2007. According to a former co-worker: "He sent it to a lot of people to see if they thought it worked."
After being fired from the company when he was convicted of mortgage fraud in 2002, Cox faked a good credit history, and used that to buy dozens of homes and properties.Testerman, Jeff. Intricate deception used in loan scam, investigators say, St. Petersburg Times, April 4, 2004, accessed December 14, 2010. In one instance he used the social security number of a toddler, and all of his documents—references, bank letters, rent receipts, W-2s from nonexistent employers—were counterfeit. He used his skills as an artist to decorate the properties with elaborate art deco-style murals. Several of his future girlfriends said that his painting talents were part of his allure, though the St. Petersburg Times described his works as copies of murals by Tamara de Lempicka.Bancroft, Colette. Artistic fraud on top of mortgage fraud?, St. Petersburg Times, November 18, 2006, accessed December 14, 2010. Cox charmed Alison Arnold, a young local married woman, into believing he could give her a wealthy and luxurious life. While courting Arnold, she said, he took her to crime films such as The Italian Job and Catch Me if You Can—which he reportedly adored and watched several times—and detailed his criminal plans to her.
Cox often filed fraudulent mortgage documents, and in several cases was able to mortgage properties for five to six times their actual worth. In this practice, known as "shotgunning" in the real estate community, Cox either himself forged or had accomplices attain inflated appraisals to increase the value of the mortgages. One of his accomplices was a detention officer, who acquired 14 properties worth nearly $600,000, while making $35,568 a year in his job.Testerman, Jeff. Property deals scrutinized, St. Petersburg Times, February 23, 2004, accessed December 14, 2010. Cox took advantage of the Hillsborough County school district by selling it a property for much more than its appraised value,Ave, Melanie & Testerman, Jeff. Schools pays big to buy new sites, St. Petersburg Times, March 12, 2006, accessed December 14, 2010. and arranged financing on a $90,000 house for future Florida Representative Janet Cruz. He recorded that sale for $233,000, and hired Cruz to do some rezoning research. Cruz claims she was unaware he inflated the sale price, and that she was never paid for her research.Zink, Janet. State House candidate has financial issues in her past, says she made good on debts, St. Petersburg Times, January 17, 2010, accessed December 14, 2010.
When a female accomplice rented a house in Pinellas County as part of Cox's schemes, then faked ownership of the property, the owner found out about the fraud. A title company manager had become suspicious of a loan Cox's accomplice was applying for on the house and called the property's real owner. The Clearwater Police department was contacted, and they began an investigation.Testerman, Jeff. More mortgage fraud found, St. Petersburg Times, February 2, 2004, accessed December 14, 2010.
Cox and Arnold grew apart and eventually Cox began courting another woman. Rebecca Hauck, a divorced mother of one, had moved to Tampa after falling into debt and declaring bankruptcy in Las Vegas.Testerman, Jeff. Fugitive vanishes once again, St. Petersburg Times, April 12, 2004, accessed December 14, 2010. She had already committed criminal offenses before meeting Cox, and was fired from a job in Las Vegas for forging her employer's name on checks that she used to pay her debts. They met through an online dating service. She, unlike Arnold, was willing to leave her son.Testerman, Jeff. In Trouble's Footsteps, St. Petersburg Times, November 16, 2006, accessed December 21, 2010.Testerman, Jeff. A tale of couple's life on the run, St. Petersburg Times, May 22, 2006, accessed April 17, 2007. After finding out that Jeff Testerman, a reporter for the St. Petersburg Times, was investigating him, Cox and Hauck left town. Two days later, on December 14, 2003, the newspaper published Testerman's story, "Dubious Housing Deals Line Avenue".Testerman, Jeff. Dubious housing deals line avenue, St. Petersburg Times, December 15, 2003, accessed April 4, 2007.
The story detailed Urban Equities Inc., an investment company started by Cox. His ex-wife Keyla Burgos, who is mother to his son, was one of the two shareholders.Testerman, Jeff. Target of land inquiry is fugitive, St. Petersburg Times, December 19, 2003, accessed December 14, 2010. Despite her involvement in the purchase or sale of 58 properties in six years, she claimed that she and the other remaining shareholder were "incapable of operating or managing Urban Equity", so the company was put into receivership.Testerman, Jeff. Receiver to oversee investment company, St. Petersburg Times, February 20, 2004, accessed December 14, 2010. His partners claimed to be unaware of Cox's dealings, and they were financially ruined by the collapse of the company.
This article coincided with Cox getting a tip from a friend that a task force had been put together at the Tampa PD to investigate him, and the case had just been handed over to the FBI for further investigation. Partially exposing Cox's scheme at this time was that all the synthetic identities he had created were based on the names of the characters of Quentin Tarantino's gangster film Reservoir Dogs, and had obvious last names such as Red, Blue, Green, etc. Cox used these identities to create a false impression of a quickly appreciating neighborhood, deceiving banks and appraisers into believing homes that were actually worth $40,000 had a value of $190,000.
Crime spree across the southern states Cox and Hauck fled to Atlanta and settled there. He became a fugitive when he failed to report to his probation officers.Testerman, Jeff. Invisible investors deceive lenders in bogus ID scheme, The St. Petersburg Times, January 26, 2004, accessed December 14, 2010. During this period, he traveled to Mobile, Alabama, and using the identity of a former co-worker, acquired credit cards and the credit needed to rent a home. After filing false documents that indicated he owned the house, Cox took out mortgages on the property for several hundred thousand dollars. He took out one mortgage under the name of The Simpsons character "C. Montgomery Burns". Cox acquired several more properties, then the couple moved to the Tallahassee, Florida area.