September 20, 2025
A former NASA scientist has pled guilty to orchestrating a mortgage fraud scheme.
A former NASA scientist has pleaded guilty to orchestrating a mortgage fraud scheme.
Documents revealed Noreen Khan-Mayberry and her husband, Christopher Mayberry, fabricated income statements and manipulated loan paperwork over multiple transactions, according to federal filings. Noreen previously worked as a technical manager for NASA. Christopher had been employed by a NASA contractor, the Houston Chronicle reports. NASA’s Office of Inspector General Office of Investigations carried out the inquiry, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Winter is prosecuting the matter.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the defendant admitted to using phony pay stubs and other false representations to secure mortgage loans for a luxury home valued at approximately $850,000. In court documents, she acknowledged submitting fake employment and financial paperwork to lenders to inflate her income. The fraud enabled the scientist to obtain loan terms she would not have otherwise received. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the couple continued to commit fraud multiple times over in an attempt to cover the crime.
“The couple attempted to dispute the debts, claiming to be victims of identity theft. Khan filed a false police report, submitted a false report to the Federal Trade Commission and sent letters to credit bureaus seeking to have loans removed from her credit. As part of the scheme, the couple signed three separate loan agreements with mortgage lenders related to the financing of their home from 2017 to 2021,” the news release states.
The couple admitted to submitting false employment documents and tax statements to lenders and currently face up to five years in prison along with $276,709 in restitution.
Under the plea, they face up to five years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. In addition, they must pay $276,709 in restitution prior to their sentencing, scheduled for Dec. 18, before U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge.
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