Two Marion County, Tenn., men have been charged in a mortgage fraud scheme that prosecutors say ran for at least two years, totaled $45 million in losses and involved victims in five states.
Joshua Dobson, 34, of Kimball, Tenn., and Paul Gott III, 39, of Jasper, Tenn., were arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan K. Lee on Thursday. Both men pleaded not guilty and were released without bond before their scheduled trial on July 9.
Gott’s court-appointed attorney, John McDougal, declined to comment.
Dobson’s hired counsel, Chris Townley, said his client entered a not guilty plea as “a formality” and “he expects to go to trial and plans to fight the charges against him.”
“A lot of times people want to look for a scapegoat when they lose money, but the reality is lots of people lost money in this financial collapse, so did Josh, and he’s adamant that he is not guilty,” Townley said.