North Miami ex-mayor appeals mortgage fraud conviction

The former mayor of North Miami is appealing her conviction and prison sentence in an $11 million mortgage fraud scheme.

An attorney for Lucie Tondreau recently filed a notice of appeal, which will be considered by the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Tondreau was convicted by a federal jury in December of working with her ex-fiance and two other men to trick banks into loaning them $11 million between 2005 and 2008. The 55-year-old Tondreau was a widely-known and respected member of South Florida's Haitian community who used a local radio show to find straw buyers.

The straw buyers were used to obtain loans for homes that had been falsely inflated in value. Tondreau and her co-conspirators used the proceeds to purchase 20 homes and pocket cash.