A federal jury convicted a councilman and former mayor of Willingboro of mortgage fraud on Wednesday.
Councilman Nathaniel Anderson and business associate Chrisone Anderson were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution, one count of bank fraud, and two counts of making a false statement on a mortgage application.
Prosecutors say the pair attempted to orchestrate a “fraudulent short sale” of a property in Willingboro; the fraudulent sale allowed them to receive some $200,000 in mortgage relief from the government
They were charged with the crimes in 2024. A jury convicted them after two-and-a-half hours of deliberation.
The pair will be sentenced by federal judge Robert Kirsch in Trenton on June 1, 2026. The charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution carry a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
He was first elected to the Willingboro Township Council in 2009 and re-elected four times, including in 2025.