Nigel Alexander McClements of Northumbria Mortgages in Carlisle charged clients for valuations, remortgage arrangements and house surveys he never carried out.
McClements pocketed fees totalling about £35,000 from dozens of victims for the bogus work.
He then fled to South Africa where he reportedly took up gambling in the hope he could win enough money to repay his victims.
Fraud detectives began investigating McClements after receiving complaints via local police in Carlisle.
He was ordered to return to the UK but he refused and fled from police. He was eventually tracked down and arrested in Belfast last year.
During his trial at Carlisle Magistrates Court in 2010, Craig McKenzie, defending, described McClements as having previously been a man of ‘good character’.
“These offences have been committed in a desperate attempt to keep the wolf from the door,” he said.
“In trying to keep his family together he has resorted to desperate measures.”
McClements has now been in custody awaiting sentencing since October 2010. The next sentencing hearing is scheduled for 7 April 7th, when it is hoped the judge will be ‘on duty’.
