Two men from New York pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bangor, Maine, to conspiring to defraud banks of mortgage funds used to buy houses for illegal marijuana cultivation.
Court records show that Tony Liang, 37, of Brooklyn, led the effort to obtain over $500,000 in residential mortgage loans from two Maine banks. Liang and his co-conspirators bought properties in Bucksport, Eddington, and Canaan using these funds. During the loan application process, Liang provided false information by email and DocuSign, including fake documentation. He and others told the banks that the homes would be used as residences; however, each property was instead used for growing and manufacturing marijuana.
Liang also admitted guilt to maintaining a marijuana-related operation at the Bucksport property from January 2021 through February 2022. The operation ended after a house fire prompted an investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office. Officials found grow materials, chemicals, high-powered lighting equipment, charred marijuana plants, processed marijuana, and hydroponics equipment at the site.
Yongliang Deng, 35, of Queens, gave his personal information and identification documents to Liang between November and December 2020 so Liang could use them to apply for a residential mortgage on the Eddington property. Deng made payments using his own bank accounts with money received from Liang and secured a mortgage under false claims that he would live at the property as his main residence. According to federal law enforcement agents who interviewed him in May 2024, Deng admitted that he never lived there and had rented out the home as an investment.
Neither defendant nor any involved property held licenses from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy.
Liang and Deng face up to 30 years in prison each for conspiracy related to mortgage fraud and a maximum fine of $1 million. Additionally, Liang faces up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine for operating premises involved with marijuana production. Sentencing will occur following presentence investigative reports prepared by the U.S. Probation Office; final sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge according to statutory guidelines.
The FBI investigated this case alongside several agencies: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), IRS-Criminal Investigations—with assistance from local agencies such as Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office and Maine Fire Marshal’s Office.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created under Executive Order 14159 aimed at combating criminal organizations operating within or outside U.S. borders through interagency cooperation among multiple federal law enforcement entities.