Four Camarillo residents were among 13 people arrested late last week by federal and local authorities in connection with two multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud operations.

Authorities plan to arrest another suspect who is out of the country.

The alleged scams used fraudulent loan applications from underqualified buyers that were processed through several banks and other lenders to illegally generate millions of dollars in loan fees and real estate commissions.

When the homebuyers were unable to make the mortgage payments, the homes went into foreclosure, resulting in millions of dollars in losses, said federal prosecutors in a press release.

“The criminal conduct that is the basis of today’s federal indictments is our own Ventura County example of the greed, avarice and fraud that drove much of this nation’s real estate meltdown,” said Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten.

Those arrested have been charged in two federal indictments that were returned earlier this month by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles.

The indictments outline schemes in which real estate professionals prepared mortgage applications that contained false information about borrowers’ income, employment, assets and intent to occupy the properties.

In the first case, which names 10 defendants, investigators estimate the conspiracy was responsible for banks funding at least $25 million in mortgages.

In the second case, which names four defendants, authorities believe banks funded at least $10 million based on fraudulent loan applications.

Federal investigators said the defendants in these cases generated substantial commissions and fees through the mortgage application process, with the largest commissions coming when the banks approved loans and made large payouts to the real estate agents who convinced borrowers to seek high-risk loan packages.

The Ventura mortgage fraud cases led to arrests on the same day authorities announced a series of federal criminal and civil actions being filed in Southern California as part of a national mortgage fraud crackdown.

“The perpetrators range from professionals in the industry— people like real estate agents and mortgage brokers—to individual borrowers who wrongly thought they could game the system,” said U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr.

The first indictment in the Ventura County takedown involves individuals who did business under the name of Oxnardbased Mortech Financial, where employees allegedly helped prepare fraudulent mortgage applications to make it appear that borrowers were qualified to obtain and repay loans.

Officials say the applications contained false information concerning employment, income and references to fake bank accounts.

Real estate agents and tax preparers worked with Mortech Financial employees to find buyers and prepare the documents that were used in the fraudulent mortgage application packages.

The indictment charges the 10 defendants in two conspiracies and various counts of bank fraud and making false statements to financial institutions.

The four Camarillo residents charged in the first indictment are Rosa Amelia “Rosie” Fernandez, 34, who worked at Mortech Financial; Raul Rocha, 37, Fernandez’s brother, who worked at Century 21 Premier Hills and Estates; Luis Ramos, 40; and Patricia Vega, 43.

The others charged in the first indictment are Rogelio Vega, 43, of Oxnard; Leticia Hernandez, 38, of Santa Paula; Eduardo Magdaleno, 62, of Ventura; Richard Ceniseroz, 57, of Oxnard, who is believed to be traveling abroad; Lilibell Meza, 34, of Fillmore; and Eduardo Reyes, 33, of Oxnard.

All of the defendants in this case face potential sentences of hundreds of years in federal prison if they are convicted of the charges in the indictment.

The second indictment involves Platinum Power Mortgage in Oxnard, which also allegedly submitted fraudulent loan applications on behalf of underqualified borrowers.

In order to convince banks to approve mortgages, the operators of Platinum Power allegedly prepared applications that made the borrowers appear that they qualified for the loans.

Those charged in the second indictment are Miriam Sukey Estrada, 32, who operated Platinum Power as well as Premier Tax Service in Oxnard; Adela Naranjo, 50, who operated Platinum Power along with Estrada; Maria Del Rocio Partida, 45, who is Naranjo’s sister and was a real estate agent at Century 21 Premier Real Estate in Oxnard; and Juan Manuel Banales Venegas, also known as “Chicken Little,” 23.

All four are from Oxnard and face maximum statutory sentences of at least 70 years in federal prison if they are convicted of all charges.