 Cox falsified documents to make it appear that he owned properties , and then fraudulently obtained several mortgages on them for five to six times their actual worth . He acquired millions of dollars this way ; estimates report the amount at between US $ 5 and $ 25 million . Cox 's first conviction occurred in 2002 when he was sentenced to probation for mortgage fraud . He was then fired from the mortgage broker position he held in a Tampa , Florida area firm . He began his life as a dedicated criminal in central Florida after that offense , before fleeing the area when his activities were discovered . His crime spree continued across the southern US , eventually landing him on the Secret Service 's Most Wanted list . He was aided by several female accomplices , some of whom are in prison or have served time there for their participation in his fraudulent mortgage practices . Cox was arrested on November 16 , 2006 . Indicted on 42 counts , and facing prison sentences of up to 400 years , he plea bargained his sentence down to a maximum of 54 years on April 11 , 2007 and was sentenced to 26 years on November 17 . He is currently in a low @-@ security prison in Florida . His story is well chronicled and has been featured on Dateline NBC , CNBC 's American Greed , in Fortune magazine , Bloomberg BusinessWeek , Playboy magazine and many other media outlets . 
