Defendant in Crisp & Cole case to remain in custody
BY COURTENAY EDELHART, Californian staff writer cedelhart@bakersfield.com
Jayson Costa, one of 10 people connected to Crisp & Cole Real Estate facing federal prosecution for allegedly engaging in mortgage fraud, was held detained in Fresno County Jail at a detention hearing Tuesday.
In U.S. District Court in Fresno, Judge Sandra M. Snyder ordered Costa detained as a flight risk.
Costa is one of only two suspects in the case who remain in custody since federal indictments against them were unsealed Friday. The rest are free on bail until a hearing next month in Fresno. Most had to surrender their passports as a condition of release.
All of the suspects pleaded not guilty at their arraignments. After Costa's arraignment, he was transferred from Lerdo Jail in Bakersfield to Fresno County Jail.
Former Bakersfield Realtor David Crisp also remained in custody Tuesday. He is being held in San Diego, where he now lives.
Probation needed more time to set the conditions for Crisp's release, said Lauren Horwood, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Costa was considered a flight risk because he has committed a crime while on probation, relocates frequently, doesn't work consistently and has no significant bond available, Horwood said.
Costa worked as a loan officer for Tower Lending, the mortgage arm of Crisp & Cole.
In 2007, he was arrested in Los Angeles after he got off a plane from Costa Rica. He was wanted on an insufficient funds/checks charge and ordered to attend bad check school and pay restitution, according to Californian archives. The case was later dismissed.
Costa also took a plea deal in 2005 in a DUI case, according to online Kern County Superior Court records.
Ten people connected to Crisp & Cole, including principals Crisp and Carl Cole, have been charged with fraud, money-laundering and conspiracy, and five others have accepted plea deals for fraud and aiding and abetting.
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