January 16, 2014
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Real Estate Commission announced today that an Order has been approved against Kyle D. Ashworth, of Vernal, for forging termite inspection documents and faking signatures of prospective buyers, in an elaborate scheme to illegally obtain Federal Housing Authority (FHA) loans. During a hearing January 15, 2013, the
Commission revoked Ashworth’s license based on testimony and evidence from the Division of Real Estate and Federal Housing Authority (FHA) which revealed Ashworth had concluded a 30‐day jail sentence for 15 criminal counts of forgery and fraud.
“The Commission appreciates the Division of Real Estate for bringing this case for action despite Mr. Ashworth’s attempts to evade regulators, “said Kay R. Ashton, Commission Chair, “Kyle Ashworth’s criminal activity was very concerning as a risk to the community so swift action against his license was necessary.”
Since June 2012, Ashworth held a real estate principal broker license through the Division of Real Estate and was previously a licensed real estate agent in Utah. The Division of Real Estate’s investigation found the following; ‐ Ashworth forged signatures of a legitimate termite inspector on forms that falsely stated that termite treatments had been completed at least 4 properties in an attempt to secure FHA loans for buyers ‐ Ashworth forged the signature of a land developer on a form that falsely implied the authorization of the developer that a termite inspection had been performed on a certain property.
‐ Ashworth forged the names of a prospective buyer and a land developer on a FHA document and submitted to a mortgage lender for a loan approval.
Under the terms of the Order, the Real Estate Commission revokes Kyle Ashworth’s principal broker license and imposes a civil penalty for $75,000 to be paid over two years. The Division of Real Estate’s administrative rules state
Ashworth may not be licensed for five years after completing his jail sentence but will be required to appear before the Real Estate Commission if he chooses to reapply for licensure after that time.
For more information on real estate fraud and how to avoid becoming a victim, contact the Utah Division of Real Estate by logging on to realestate.utah.gov or by calling 801‐530‐6747.