ORLANDO, Fla. — A Moultrie restaurateur was recently convicted in federal court for his role in a real estate fraud case in Florida.

Geo Geovanni, 49, of Moultrie, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and three counts of bank fraud, according to a statement released Friday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida.

Geovanni and Elizabeth Longerbone opened The Hen House in downtown Moultrie in March 2017, after moving to Moultrie the previous year.

Longerbone, 39, pleaded guilty Nov. 16 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Three counts against her were dismissed.

Both Geovanni and Longerbone face sentencing Feb. 25. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, along with a fine and supervised release. The text of Longerbone’s plea agreement urges the court to sentence her on the lower end of the sentencing guidelines, but that’s just a recommendation and isn’t binding on the judge. Her plea agreement also calls for mandatory restitution, and presumably his sentence will as well.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Geovanni was a real estate broker who owned his own brokerage firm based in Orlando, the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s press release said. Between May and August 2008, Geovanni sold condominium units to buyers at The Landing, located in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Geovanni engaged in a conspiracy to conceal from mortgage lenders sales incentives that he provided to the buyers. These undisclosed incentives included making the buyers’ down payments and paying kickbacks after closing. As a result of his actions, Geovanni helped cause the loss of approximately $761,150 to JP Morgan Chase Bank and Wells Fargo Bank when the mortgages involved in the fraudulent transactions went into foreclosure.

This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor and Special Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Capone.